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H^SI .<»S ED,2 C 1
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KAPOLEON IN EXILE;
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m HIB OWN WORDS.
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NEW YORK: ; ■ ;
WILLIAM GOWAN a.'-.',-
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WH06X HUMAKS ATTEHTIOICS
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HAPOLEON IN ST. HELENA,
msw ntox mi, dt sis dtino xoioDnn, the oratdul mrnnanm
or BIB
^BATlBr ACTION A2n> EBTSEIf,*
THEBS yOLUXEB
AKE,
WITH HER LAOT8HIP*S PEEinSSION, IfOST
RESPECIFVLLT INSCRIBED
BY
LADTBHir's YERT OBEDIENT HUMBLE 8EEVANT,
T ? I II 3- BARRY E. OMEARA.
PREFACE.
Placed by peculiar circumstances arising
from my profession, near the person of the
most extraordinary man perhaps of any age,
in the most critical juncture of his life, I de-
termined to profit by the opportunities af-
forded me, as far as I could consistently with
honour. The following volumes are the result
The reader will see in the very outset of the
work, how it was that T became attached as a
medical oflBcer to the household of Napoleon.
That it was in consequence of his own appli-
cation, by the advice of my superiors, and with
the full concurrence of the lords of the ad-
miralty. I never sought the situation ; it was
in some degree assigned me ; and most as-
suredly I should have shrunk from the accept-
ance of it, had I contemplated thepossibility of
being even remotely called on to compromise
the principles either of an officer or a gentle-
man. Before, however I had been long
scorched upon the rock of St. Helena, I was
taught to appreciate the embarrassments of
• • •
Vm PREFACE.
my situation. I saw soon that I must either
become accessory to vexations for which there
was no necessity, or incur suspicions of no
very comfortable nature. Fortunately for my
honour, my happiness, and indeed for every
thing except my interests, I did not hesitate.
Humanity required of me a consideration for
my patient. The uniform I wore imperiously
commanded that I should not soil it by indig-
nities to a captive, and my country's character
pledged me to hold sacred the tnisfortunes
of the fallen. This I did. It is my pride to
avow it : a pride inferior only to that which
I feel in finding those men my enemies who
consider it a crime.
The few alleviations which I had it in my
power to offer. Napoleon repaid by the con-
descension with which he honoured me; and
my necessary professional intercourse was soon
increased into an intimacy, if I may speak of
intimacy with such a personage. In fact, in
the seclusion of Longwood, he soon almost
entirely laid aside the emperor ; with those
about him, he conversed familiarly on his
past life, and sketched the characters, and
detailed the anecdotes which are here pre-
sented faithfully to the reader. The unre-
PREFACE. IX
served manner in which he spoke of every
thing can only be conceived by- those who
heard him ; and though where his own con-
duct was questioned he had a natural human
leaning towards himself, still truth appeared
to be his principal if not his only object.
In the delineation of character he was pecu-
liarly felicitous. His mind seemed to con-
centrate its beams on the object he wished
to elucidate, and its prominent features be-
came instantly discernible. The intimate ac-
quaintance which he necessarily possessed
with all the, great characters who figured
in Europe for the last thirty years gave to
his opinions and observations more than or-
dinary interest ; indeed from no other source
could such authentic information be ac-
quired. Notwithstanding the interval which
elapsed since many of the occurrences al-
luded to took place, and the distracting oc-
cupations which must have employed his
mind, it was wonderful to see how freshly he
remembered every transaction which became
the subject of inquiry. If there was any
thing more extraordinary than this, it was the
apathy with which he perused the libels which
were written on him — he seemed inspired
X PREFACE.
with a conviction of posthumous fame, beyond
the reach of contemporary depreciation. But
perhaps a knowledge of the man may be bet-
ter acquired from seeing him— as he really was
during the first three years of his residence at
St, Helena, than from any speculative deduc-
tion — as he appeared, spoke, acted, and seemed
to feel, the reader shall have him. — It may
perhaps be only right to add, that some of
the observations or arguments on particular
subjects were committed to paper from Na-
poleon's own dictation.
Before, however, we go further, I feel that
the public have a right to demand how far
they can depend on the authenticity of these
volumes. To the friends who know me I
hope no verification is necessary — to my de-
tractors even mathematical proof would be
unavailing — to those who are prejudiced nei-
ther on one side nor the other, the following
corroborations are submitted.
In the first place, then, I refer to the fac
simile of Napoleon's hand-writing prefixed to
the frontispiece, and given to me by himself
as a proof of the confidence with wliich he
treated me — the original of this any person
who chooses to apply to me shall see. I refer
PBEFACS. XI
iijsx) to the whole Longwood household, more
pacticularly to the executors, Counts Bertraud
^d MontholQp^and to Count Las Cases, as to
the facilities I had, and the familiarity with
which I was honoured. This, I hope, will
be sufficient on the score of opportunity.
The next point is as to the accuracy of the
transcript Upon this subject my plan was
as follows. I spoke as little and listened as
attentively as I could, seldom interposing, ex-
cept for the purpose of leading to those facts
on which I wished for information. To my
memory, though naturally retentive, I did not
entirely trust ; immediately on retiring from
Napoleon's presence, I hurried to my chamber
and carefully committed to paper the topics of
conversation, with, so far as I could, the
exact words used. Where I had the least
doubt as to my accuracy, I marked it in my
journal, and by a subsequent recurrence to
the topic, when future opportunities offered,
I satisfied myself; this, although I have avoid-
ed them as much as possible, may account
for some occasional repetitions, but 1 have
thought it better to appear sometimes tedious,
than ever to run the risk of a mistatement.
My long residence at Longwood rendered
Xll PREFACE.
those opportunities frequent, and the facility
of communication which Napoleon allowed,
made the introduction of almost any subject
easy. Thus did I form ray original journal ;
as it increased in interest, it became of course
to me an object of increased solicitude ; and
as nothing which could possibly occur at St.
Helena would have surprised me, I deter-
mined to place its contents at least beyond
the power of that spoliation which afterwards
was perpetrated on some of my other pro-
perty. Having purchased in the island, a
machine for that purpose, I transmitted at
intervals the portions copied, to a friend on
board one of his majesty's ships in the roads,
who , forwarded them as opportunities oc-
curred, to Mr. Holmes of Lyon's Inn, Na-
poleon's respectable agent in London. The
entire of this copy Mr. Holmes duly received
some time previous to my return to England,
as appears below by his own authentication,*
and part of the silver paper manuscript as he
received it, I have deposited with my pub-
• 8, Lym'i Inn, June 9&d, 1822.
I certify that I received all the papers alluded to bj Mr.
O'Meara in the Preface, a connderable time before his ar*
vml in England. William Houcsi.
• ••
PAEFACS. XIU
lishers for the satisfaction of the scepticaL
Thus, for the authenticity of the following
conversations the reader has the guarantees,
first, of the undoubted opportunities afforded
me, 2ndly, of their haying been taken on the
spot, Srdly, of their having been transmitted
at the moment, and 4thly, of the original do-
cument itself, authenticated by the person to
whom it had been consigned and now sub-
mitted to general inspection. Independent g(^
these, I think I may refer with confidence to
those third persons, whose interviews with
Napoleon are occasionally introduced ; and
some of the official members of his majesty's
government cannot with truth deny, that
many of the political conversations were by
me communicated at no great interval after
their occurrence. Such communications I
considered it my duty to make wherever I
thought their import might benefit the coun-
try. What use ministers may have made of
them I know not, but certainly the preventive
system with respect to smugglers was adopted
soon after the transmission of Napoleon's con-
versation on the subject. Perhaps, however,
after all, the best proof of the authenticity of
these volumes will be found in their own con-
tents —independent of the internal evidence
b
XIV PEEFACE.
contained in tJie anecdotes themselves, there
was, on whatever came from Napoleon's mmd,
an inimitable impress. On this subject if I
appear to many unnecessarily minute, it is
because I am well aware that every attempt
will be made to deny the authenticity of these
conversations ; there are too many implicated
— rtoo many interested — too many who must
wish to cast an impenetrable shade over the
transactions of St Helena, to suffer the truth
to obtain an undisputed circulation. The fol-
lowing official letters will shew, that it was at
least the desire of his majesty's ministers to
bury Napoleon's mind with his body in the
grave of his imprisonment. If I have dis-
obeyed the injunction, it is because I thought
that every fragment of such a mind should be
preserved to history, because I despised the
despotism which would incarcerate even in-
tellect: — and because I thought those only
should become subsidiary to concealment,
who were conscious of actions which could
not bear the light. The following creditable
documents emanating from the ministers of a
free country, were transmitted by authority
to me at St. Helena, soon after the publication
of Mr. Warden's book. Every feeling heart
will make its own comment on thenu
PREFACE. XT
Htf Mt^tff's Mp Comqtmror.
St. Hekna Roadi, 9miJwmary, 1818.
Sir. — I faferewith inclose to you a copy of a
letter I have just received from Mr. Secretary
Barrow, (relative to a work published by Mr.
Warden, late surgeon of his majesty^s ship Nor-
thumberland,) which I desire you will pay moet
particular attention to. I am, Sir
Your most obedient, humble Servant,
RoBT. Plampin.
Rear Adminlj Ciimmmdg^ia'cWafi
To Mr. Barry CMeara^ Surgeon^
R. N. iMgwoodf Si. Helena.
(No. XII.) AdmireUif Qfee, ISH Stj^imlw, 181 7.
Sir, — ^My Lords Commissioners of the admir*
alty having had under their consideration a work
which has been published by Mr. Warden, late
surgeon of his majesty*s ship Northumberland,
their lordships have commanded me to signify
their directions to you to acquaint all the officers
employed under your orders, that they are to un-
derstand, that if they should presume to publish
any information which they may have obtained
by being officially employed at St. Helena, they
will suffer their lordship*s heavy displeasure.
I am. Sir,
Your most obedient, humble Servant,
John Barrow.
To Rear Adnnral Plampin^
SL Helena.
XTl PREFACE.
Such were the attempts, certainly not un-
accountable, to cancel all recollection of Na-
poleon^ at least in his captivity — those who
issued these orders forgot that the power did
not accompany the mil to subject the publi-
cations of Englishmen to an imprimatur. De-
spising the denunciation as I did, and from
my heart do, I have, however, thought it only
my duty not to publish these conversations
till after Napoleon's death ; nor have I done
so even now, without the knowledge of his
executors. All danger from them is past : the
tongue which uttered them is silent for ever,
and history has a right to them.
If I was disposed to comment on these let-
ters, I should say that they proceed altogether
upon a wrong assumption, namely, that an
officiid footing at Longwood gave to any one
the power of obtaining the information which
I collected. Nothing can be more absurd.
If I had acted a different part from what I
did— if, in place of reconciling the allegiance
of a subject with the compassion of a Chris-
tian, and preserving the rights of my country,
while 1 took care not to compromise the feel-
ings of my nature I tried to make my office
the avenue to fortune— if I sunk the man in
FRSFACS. XVii
the menial — ^if I became an oflScial slave in-
stead of an honestservant— if I courted power,
by straining my loyalty to suit the purposes
of mean vexation and unmanly vengeance —
if I lifted up my hoof against the dead lion,
or displayed my pigmy prowess by a dastard
warfare upon the helpless infirmities of a fallen
enemy ; I should not only have had no op-
portunities of access, but 1 should have been
proscribed Napoleon's, and man's society.
But I acted altogether upon different princi-
ples ; after having devoted the best fifteen
years of my life to combating his soldiers in
the field, and on the wave, I forgot when he
was my country's prisoner, that he had ever
been my country's foe. I thought the con-
quest of clemency, superior even to that of
valour, and that a proud country should make
her enemies confess, not only that she con-
quered, but that she deserved to conquer.
In such a place as St. Helena, there could
have been no danger from the worst man's
deviating into feelings of humanity ; fenced
round, as it is, with the most frightful preci-
pices, with only one practicable place of egress,
and that one not only bristling with cannon,
andcrowdedwith guards, but effectually barri-
4»m
Xnn PREFACE.
cadoedbyour squadron, escape could scarcely
have been effected by a miracle. The simple
precaution which Napoleon himself suggested^
of never suffering any ship to sail, until his
actual safety should be ascertained, might
have obviated the necessity of almost any
other. Having said thus much upon the mo-
tives by which my conduct has been ac-
tuated, I have only to add, that although I
shall contemptuously pass by any anonymous
insinuations, I am ready to meet any charge
before any tribunal whatsoever, where the
truth can he investigated. Let me only have
an opportunity of proof and a responsible
accuser. In the face of the world, I chal-
lenge investigation. With respect to the
mandate issued by the Admiralty against pub-
licaton, it is suited to the meridian rather of
Algiers, than of England — the very attempt in
a free country, need only be mentioned to be
reprobated ; it must have proved as abortive
as it was despotic, for even were any English-
man base enough to obey it, the Frenchman
need not ; so that it was at best but a bungling
refinement on the revolutionary device said
to have been proposed, of burning the books
in Paris, to annihilate learning, as if no other
PREFACE. xiX
copies existed in the world. With this re-
mark^ however, I shall dismiss the subject, as
it is difficult to say, whether the credit of the
measure is due to the present literary board,
or to those lay philosophers, whose future
censorship has been since cruelly dispensed
with by the House of Commons.
With respect to the views of men and
things taken by Napoleon in his remarks, I
beg to guard myself against any adoption of
them as my own. I am merely the narrator.
I give them as the substance of bis interesting
and unreserved conversations, neither vouch-
ing for the critical exactness of his dates, nor
the justness of his opinions, nor indeed for
any thing but the accuracy of my report. I
only engage to the reader to lay before him
Napoleon's sentiments as that extraordinary
man uttered them.
** Warm from the heart, and faithful to its fires.^
In making this remark, however, I am
bound to add, that I neither avoid nor evade
inquiry ; in any investigation in which l/ie
truth can be told I am perfectly willing to
take my share, ready to abide the event, whe-
ther it bring reward or responsibility.
XX rREKACE.
Juguiiftlii, 182^.
P. S.-"1t has just been communicated to me, that I am
in error in having stated (vol. i. p. l^T), that it was Sir G.
Cockburn*$ brother that was seized in Hamburgh by order
of Napoleon ; the person, according to the information of
the gentleman who write to me, was Sir George Rumbold.
Although I can scarcely believe that I was mistaken, yet I
think it my duty to mention this friendly correction.
October St4tih, 1822.
On the subject of the foregoing postscript, the following
Letter appeared in The Morning Herald of the SSrd Sep-
tember, 182S :—
To the Editor of the Morning Herald.
Sir. — Dr. O'Meara is correct in his statement of Mr.
Cbckbum, the consul at Hamburgh being seized and made
a prisoner in the manner related. The writer of this was
a co»d^Unu with him at Verdun. He owed bis liberation
to a most singular circumstance. His wife was a French
lady, and had been a schooMellow with Madame Beauhar-
Dois. Mr. C. was advised to send her to Paris, to obtain an
interview with Madame Beauham<nSy and solicit her hus-
band^s release. She went to Paris : Madame B. recognized
her, and shewed her great kindness and attention^ promised
to exert all her interest with the emperor on the first fa-
vourable opportunity ; but added, that she could not pro-
mise all the success she wished, as at that moment the em-
peror had, to use her own words, *< grand rancunt conire les
Jngloisy In about a month after Mr. Cockbum received
a passport for England, and his name ordered to be struck
off the list of the d^enuM at the d^p6t.
(Signed) A ci-oevant oktbnu at Vbbouii.
PREFACE
TOTHB
SECOND EDITION,
The rapidity with which a Second Edition of
this Work has been caUed for, is an unequivo*
cal proof of the favourable opinion of the Pub-
lic. Its reception has been highly flattering
to my feelings, and is the best answer that can
be given to the calumnies by which it has
been assailed by some of the hirelings of the
corrupt journals of the present day.
This edition has been carefully revised,
a few verbal inaccuracies corrected, and a
new Engraving added of a drawing from the
statue presented to me by Napoleon on my
leaving St. Helena.
It is with feelings of deep regret that I find
it necessary to allude to a transaction, the re-
membrance of which will always be considered
by me as one of the most unfortunate events
VOL. I. c
XXii PREFACE.
of my life, inasmuch as, to an upright mind,
it will ever be a source of sorrow to have
given, however unintentionally, unmerited
pain to those from whom it had never received
any injury : nor can this sentiment find any
parallel in my breast, unless it be in the regret,
which will never cease to accompany the re-
collection of this affair, that, by a fatal error,
theoffender,forwhomthechastisementwas in-
tended, escaped the actual punishment due to
his crime. The Public will however feel, that
the person to whom I* allude, must be con-
g^dered las having virttmlly received what
was due to^ bit brutal attack upon my cha-
raeteir; an attach which he failed to support
in tlie only manner that could prove him
to be in some degree worthy of the character
of a gentleman. His slanders have a prolific
birth, but as to himself, he seems to be im-
palpahh. As &r as respects myself, therefore,
I hope the public will j^erceive that I have
not been inattentive to my honour, the pro-
tection of which has ever been the sentiment
nearest to my heart; and under which im-
pressicm, all resentment against those who
attempted to degrade me ceases« and is sup-
• ••
THE SECOND EDITION. XXlll
planted bj pUy for the situation in which such
perscms must stand before the bar of public
opinion.
To the strictest critical scrutiny, or review
of these volumes, I can feel no reluctance to
their being subjected; if they cannot bear gen-
tlemanly investigation, they are undeserving
to remain before the public ; and I should
consider myself as unworthy of any attention
from my countrymen were I to flinch from
their inquiries, or to take offence at their
scepticism, if they found, after at fair examl^
nation, whereon ta rest their doubts-^iJBut to
the personal, attack whidi ^ I have sustained
from The Times Newspaper^ I was not dis*
posed to submit with passive obedience ; an at-
tack, which was as distant from the duty of an
impartial Reviewer, holding the balance even
between the public and the writer, as it was
from the courtesy, in all matters of contro-
versy, which one gentleman owes to another.
A friend has transmitted to me the follow-
ing communication :— Napoleon was removed
from the Bellerophon on board of the Nor-
thumberland on the 7th of August ; and the
words used by Captain Maitland to Count
Las CaseS) were as follows :—-" That with the
XXIV PREFACE TO
orders which he (Captain Maitland), was
acting upon, he conceived that he might
receive him on board the Bellerophon, and
carry him to England ; but that in doing so,
he was acting upon his own responsibility,
and that he must consider himself entirely at
the disposal of the Prince Regent, as Cap-
tain M. could not enter into any promise as to
the reception Napoleon was to meet with."
The following document, omitted in the
first edition, is of too important a nature not
to be annexed to the present. It completely
refutes the assertions of the ministerialists,
touching the alleged refusal of England to
recognize the imperial dynasty.
Protocole des Conferences de ChatiUon sur Seine.
Ftvrier 4»
S. E. M. le Due de Vicence, ministre des rela-
tions ext^rieures, et pl^nipotentiaire de France,
d'une part, et les pl^nipotentiaires des cours al-
lies, savoir : M. le Comte de Stadion, &a pour
TAutriche ; S. E. M. le Comte de Razoumowski,
&c. pour la Russie ; LL. ElE. Lord Aberdeen, &C.,
Lord Cathcart, &c., et Sir Charles Stewart, &c.
pour la Grande Bretagne ; et S. £. M. le Baron de
THE SECOND EDITION. XXV
Hamboldt, &c. pour la Prasse, d*aatre part. S*£-^
tant acquitt^s reciproquement des visites d*usage
dans la journ^ du 4 Fevrier, sent convenas en
mfime temps de se rdunir en stance le lendemaiu»
5 du mois de Fevrier.
Stance du 17 Fevrier, suite du Protocole.
Le pl6nipotentiaire Autricbien lit en-
suite le propos du traits pr^liminaire suivant.
Prajet ttun traiU prdliminaire entre les hautes
puissances alliies et la France.
An nom de la tr^ sainte et individble Trinity.
LL. MM. II. d*Autriche et de Russie, S. M.
le Roi du Royaume uni de la Grande Bretagne et
de rirlande, et S. M. le Roi de Prusse, agissant au
nom de tons leurs allies d'une part, et S« M. TEm-
pereur des Frangais de Tautre ; d^sirant cimenter
le repos et le bien-^tre futur de FEurope par une
paix solide et dumble, sur terre et sur roer, et ayant
nomro6 pour atteindre k ce but salutaire, leurs
pl^nipotentiaires actuellement r^unis h, Chatillon
sur Seine; pour discuter les conditions de cette
paix, les pl^nipotentiaires sont convenus des arti«
cles snivants.
XXVl PREFACE TO
Articles V^.
II y aura paix et amiti^ eatre LL. MM. IL d*Aa-
triche et de Rossie^ S. M. le . Roi du Royaume nni
de la Grande Bretagne et de Flrlande, et S. M. le
Roi de Prasse^ agissant en m£me temps au noro de
tons lears allies, et S, M. VEmpereur des Franpais,
leurs h&itiers et successeurs d( perpdtuiU.
Les bautes parties contractantes s*engagent &e.
&e.
(SignS)
AbebdeeKi
Cathcaet,
CaULAIKCOUBT Jjtj* COMTB OB RaZOUMOWSKI^
Due De Vicence. JHumboldt,
Le Comte de Stadiok,
Chables Stewabt,
Lieut. Gen.
(translation.)
Protocol of the Conference^ of ChatiUon sur Seine.
His excellency the Dake of Vicenza, minister
of foreign affairs and plenipotentiary of France,
on the one part> and the plenipotentiaries of the
THE 8SCOKD EDITION. XXTIl
«
allied courts on the other, to wit : Austria, M. le
CoiDte de Stadion — ^Russia, S. E. M. le Comte de
Razotiinowski— ^Great Britain, their excellencies
Lord Aberdeen, Lord C^hcart, and Sir Charles
Stewart-*-and &. K AL le Baron de Humboldt,
on the part of Prussia, haying reciprocally received
the accustomed visits on the 4th of February, at
the same time agreed ta assemble in the sitting of
the next day, the &th of February.
Sitting of the 17 th Feb. suite of the Protocol.
The Austrian Plenipotentiary then read the pre-
liminary arrangements for the following treaty.
Pra/ed of a preliminanf treaty between the high
allied powers and France.
In the name of the holy and indivisible I'nnity.
Their imperial majesties of Austria and Russia,
his majesty the King of the united kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, and his majesty the King of
Prussia, acting in the name of all their allies, on
the one part, and his majesty the Emperor of the
French on the other ; wishing to cement the re-
pose^and the future welfare of Europe by a solid
and durable peace, by land and sea, and tc attain
this salutary end, having named their plenipoten-
tiaries at present assembled at Chatillon sur
Seine, to discuss the conditions of the peace, the
plenipotentiaries have agreed on the following
articles :
XXViii PBEFACE, &C.
Article \st..
There shall be peace and friendship between
their imperial majesties of Austria and Russia, his
majesty the King of the united kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, and his majesty the King of
Prussia, acting at the same time in the name of all
their allies, and his majesty the Emperor of the
Frenchj their heirs and successors^for ever.
The high contracting parties engage to, &c. &c.
(Signed^ S^c. &:c.J
Aberdeen,
iCathcart,
Caulaincourt, J Lb Cobite dk Razoumowsvi,
Due De Vicence, I Humboldt,
Le Comte de Stadion,
Charles Stewabt,
Liout.GeEi.
IBB Cameo, an engraving from which is given in the
irontispiecey was executed before the battle of Marengo,
previous to the time when Napoleon became corpulent
Madame Mire,^ when she preseqted it to me, informed me
that it was then considered to be an excellent likeness ;
and indeed its resemblance to what he was when I saw him,
was striking, making allowance for his features having lost
much of the sharpness shewn in the Cameo.
The engraving from the Cameo has been pronounced by
M. Revelli, of Duncan-place, Leicester-square, Prqfessore
emerito of the university of Turin, to be a most striking
likeness of Napoleon at the period mentioned. It may be
necessary to observe, that no other painter was favoured
with such opportunities of forming a correct judgment on
the subject as M. Revelli ; as, independent of having fre-
quently seen him at an early age, he resided for several
months with Napoleon at Elba, as his painter^ and exe-
cuted a beautiful portrait of him, which is now in bis pos-
session.
The following is a translation of the fac-simile of Napo-
leon^s hand-writing under the Cameo — ** If he sees my good
Louise, I beg of her to permit him to kiss her handJ^
The engraving from the Medal to be placed after the
Prefaces in Vol. I.
The whole length portrait of Napoleon to face the
title of the second volume.
* Napoleon's Mother.
Explanation
Explanation of the fgura in the representation of the
House in front of the Appendix^ Volume IL
Fig.
1. Billiard-Room.
S. Drawing-room.
3. Napoleon's Writing-room, af-
terwards converted into a
Bed-Room.
4. His first Bed-Room.
5. Marchand's-Room.
6. Inferior Servant's Hall*
7. Kitchen.
Fig.
8. Count Las Cases' first Room.
The Garret above for his
son.
9. Orderly Officer's Room.
10. General Gourgand's.
11. Mr. O'Meara's.
12. New Rooms built for Count
and Countess Montholon and
family.
The Commissioners were allowed to come as far as the
jgiate lepretiented in the plate.
A VOICE
FROM
ST. HELENA
1 N cxinsequence of the resolation which had beea
adopted by the British government to send the
former sovereign of France to a distant settle-
ment, and communicated to him by Major-Gene-
ral Sir Henry Bunbury, under secretary of state,
on board of the Belleraphon, 74> Captain Mait-
land, at Plymouth, a few days before, Napoleon,
accompanied by S!ich of his suite as were permit-
ted by our government, was removed on the 7th of
August, 1815, from the Bellerophon to the North-
umberland, 74, Captain Ross. The vessel bore the
flag of Rear-admiral Sir George Cockbum, G, C. B.
who was entrusted with the charge of conveying
Napoleon to St. Helena, and of regulating all mea-
sures necessary to the security of his personal deten-
tion after his arrival at the place of his confinement.
Out of the suite that had followed his fortunes on
board of the Bellerophon and Myrmidon, his ma-
jesty's government permitted four of his officers,
liis surgeon, and twelve of his household, to share
his exile. The undermentioned persons were
consequently selected, and accompanied him on
board of the Northumberland : — Counts Bertrand,
b2
4 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
•
Montholon, and Las Cases, Baron Gourgaad^
Countess Bertrand and her three children. Coun-
tess Montholon and child, Marchand, premier
valet de chambre, Cipriani, maitre dli6tel, Pieron,
St, Denis, Novarre, Le Page, two Archambauds,
Santini, Rousseau, Grentilini, Josepaine, Bernard,
and his wife, domestics to Count Bertmnd. A
fine youth of about fourteen, son to Count Las
Cases, was also permitted to accompany his father.
Previous to their removal from the Bellerophou,
the swords and other arms of the prisoners were
demanded from them, and their luggage was sub-
sequently examined, in order that possession
fhight be taken of their property, whether in bills,
money, or jewels. After paying those of his suite
who were not |>ermitted to accompany him, only
four thousand Napoleons in gold w:ere found,
which were taken possession of by persons autho-
rized by his majesty'^ government.
When the determination of the British minis-
ters to send Napoleon to St. Helena was commu-
nicated to his suite, M. Maingaud, the surgeon
who had accompanied him from Rochefort, re-
fused to follow him to the tropics. M. Maingaud
'Was a i young man unknown to Napoleon, and had
been fortuitously chosen to attend him until M.
Fourreau de Beauregard, who had been his sur-
geon in Elba, coidd join him ; and I was informed
that even had he been willing to proceed to St.
Heletia, his services would not have been ac-
tepted. On the day that Napoleon first came on
A VOICB FROM ST. HSLRNA« 5
baard the Bellerophon, after he had gone round
the ship, he addressed me on the poop, and asked
if I were the chirurgien major ? I replied in the
affirmative, in the Italian language. He then
asked in the same language, what country I was
a native of r I replied, of Ireland. ^ Where did
you study your profession T ^ In Dublin and
London.^ ^ Which of the two is the best school
of physic! I replied that I thought Dublin the
best school of anatomy, and London of surgery*
^ Oh,** -said he, smiling, ^ you say Dublin is the
best sdiodi of anatomy because you are an Irish-
man.** I answered that I begged pardon, that I
had said so because it was true ; as in DuUin the
subjects for dissection were to be procured at a
fourth of the price paid for them in London, and
Che professors were equally good« He smiled at
this reply, and asked what actions I had been in,
and in what parts of the globe I had served ? I
mentioned several, and amongst others, Egypt-
At the word Egypt, lie commenced a series of
questions, which I answered to the best of my
ability. I mentioned to him that the corps of
officers to which I then belonged messed in a
house that had formerly served as a stable for
his horses* He laughed at this, and ever after^
wards noticed me when walking on deck, and oc-
casionally called me to interpret or explain. On
the passage from Rochefort to Torbay, Colonel
Planat, one of his orderly officers, was t^en very
iil^ and attended by me, as M. Maingaud was in-
6 A TOICB FiM>M ST. HBLBNA.
capable^ through sear^ickness, of oifering any a»
mtance. During the period of his ilhiess, Napo*
leon fi'equently asked about him, and conversed
with me on the nature of his malady and the mode
of cure. After our arrival at Plymouth, General
Gourgaud also was very unwell, and did me the
honour to have recourse to n>e for advice. All
those circumstances had the effect of bringing me
more in contact with Napoleon than any other
officer in the ship, with the exception of Captain
Maitland; and the day before the Bellerophon
lefk Torbay, the Duke of Rovigo, with whom I
was frequently in the habit of conversing, asked
me if I were willing to accompany Napoleon to
St. Helena as surgeon, adding, that if I were, I
should receive a communication to that effect frcmi
Count Bertrand, the grand mar^chal. I replied
that I had no objection, provided the British go*
vemment and my captain were willing to permit
me, and also under certain stipulations. I com*
municated this immediately to Captain Maitland,
who was good enough to fevour me with his advice
and opinion ; which were, that I ought to accept of
the offer, provided the sanction of Admiral Lord
Keith and of the English government could be
obtained, adding, that he would mention the mat-
ter ^to his lordship. On our arrival at Torbay
Count Bertrand made the proposal to Captain
Maitland and to myself, which was immediately
communicated to Lord Keith. His tordsliip sent
Cmt me <Hi board of the Tonuant» and after some
A VOICK FROM 8T. HELENA. 7
preliminary conTersution, in wnich I explained
the nature of the stipulations I was desirous of
oialcing, did me the honour to recommend me in
•strong terms to accept of the situation, adding,
that he ccnld not order me to do so, as it was
foreign to the naval service, and a business alto-
gether extraordinary ; but that he advised me to
accept of it, ai>d expressed his conviction that go*
vemment would feel obliged to me, as they were
very anxious that Napoleon should be accompanied
by a surgeon of his own choice. His lordship ad-
ded, that it was an employment which I could hold
perfectly consistent with my honour, and mth the
duty I owed to my country and my sovereign.
Feeling highly gratified that the step which I
bad in contemplation had met with the approba-
tion of character so distinguished in the service,
as Admiral Lord Keith, and Captain Maitland,*
* It is DO small gratificatroa to me to be able to produce such
a testimonial as the following^ from a captain with whom 1
cerved in three different ships.
November 6th, 1814.
Dear Sir,
The attention and meritorious conduct of Mr. Barry O'Mea-
ra, while surgeon with me in the Goliath, calls upon me as an
act of justice to him and of benefit to the service, to state, that
during- the fifteen years I have commanded some one of his
majesty's ships, I have never had the pleasure of sailing with
an officer in his situation who so fully answered my expecta-
tions. Not being a judge of his professional abilities, though
1 have every reason to believe them of the first class, and
know that to be the opinion of some of the oldest and most
rtftfpectablq surgeons in the navy, I shall only state, that du«
g A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA.
laxccepted of the situation, and proceeded oi
board of the Northnn^berland, stipulating, how
ever, by letter to his lordship, thi^ I should be
always considered as a British officer, and upor
the list of naval surgeons on full pay, paid by the
British government, and that I should be at liberty
to quit so peculiar a service, should I find it not to
be consonant to my wishes.
During the voyage, which lasted about ten
weeks. Napoleon did not suffer much from sea-
sickness after the first week. He rarely made his
appearance on deck until after dinner. He break-
&8ted in his own cabin d la fourchette at ten or
eleven o'clock, and spent a considerable portion of
the day in writing and reading. Before he sat
down to dinner he generally played a game at
chess, and remained at that meal, in compliment
to the admiral, about an hour : at which time cof-
ring' a period of very bad weather, which occasioDed the Go-
liath to be extremely sickly, hb attention and tendemess to
the men was such as to call forth my warmest approbation,
and the grateful affection of both oflBcers and men. Were it
probable that I should soon obtain another appointment, 1
know of no man in the service 1 should wish to have as sur-
geon so much as Mr. (yMeara, As, however, in the present
state of the war, that b not likely, I trust you will do me the
fkvour of giving him an appointment, as an encouragement to
young men of his description, and believe me.
Dear Sir, fcc. &e. &c
Frederick L. M attliiNd
To Dr. Hanu99, S^e. S^e. 8^.
Tranttport Board.
* Appendix, No. 1«
A TOICB FROM 8T. HBUUfA^ 9
fee was broagfat ta him^ and he left the companjr:
to take a walk upon deck, accompaiiied by Coijiiits
Bertrand or Las Cases, while the admiral and the
rest contimied afc table for an hour or two longer.
While walking the quarter-deck, he frequently
q)oke to such of the officers as could understand
and converse with him ; and often asked Mr.
Warden, (the surgeon of the Northumberland),
questions touching the prevailing complaints, and
mode of treatment of the sick. He occasionally
played a game at whist, hut generally retired to
his cabin at nine or ten o*clock. Such was the
uniform course of his life during the voyage.
Hie^ Northumberland hove to off Funchal, and
the Havannah frigate was sent in to procure r^^
freshments. During the time we were off the an«
chorage a violent sciracco levante prevailed, which
did great mischief to the grapes. We were inform-
ed that some of the ignorant and superstitious in-
habitants attributed it to the presence of Napoleon.
Fourteen or fifteen hundred volumes of books
were ordered from England for Napoleon*s use, by
Count Bertrand.
We arrived at St. Helena on the 15th of Octo-
ber. Nothing can be more desolate or repulsive
than the appearance of the exterior of the island.
When we had anchored, it was expected that Na-
poleon would have been invited to stop at Planta-
tion House, the country-seat of the governor, until
a house could have been got ready for him; as
heretofore passengers of distinction had invariaUy
VOL. I. c
10 A tOICB FROM 8T. HKUINA.
been asked to pass the time they remained on the
island there. Some forcible reason possibly existed,
as this courtesy was not extended to him.
On the evening of the 17th, about seven o'clock.
Napoleon landed at James Town, accompanied by
,^ the admiral, Count and Countess Bertrand, Las
Cases, Count and Countess Montholon, &c., and
proceeded to a house belonging to a gentleman
named Porteous, which had been taken for that
purpose by the admiral, and was one of the best
in the town. It was not, however, free from in-
convenience, as Napoleon could not make his ap-
peai'ance at the windows, or even descend from his
bedchamber, without being exposed to the rude
and ardent gaze of those who wished to gratify
their curiosity with a sight of the imperial captive.
There was no house in the town at all calculated
for privacy, except the governor's, to which there
belonged a court, and in front there was a walk
upon the ramparts facing the sea, and overlooking
the Marino, which proximity to the ocean probably
was the cause of its not having been selected for him.
The inhabitants of the island were in very anx-
ious expectation during the greatest part of the day
to obtain a sierht of the exiled niier when he should
make his entree to the place of his confinement.
Numbers of persons of every description crowded
the Marino, the street, and the houses by which he
was to pass, in the eager hope of catching a glimpse
of him. The expectations of most of them were
however disappointed, as he did not land till after
A.t^OlCX FROM 8T. HBLBNA. 11
sim-eet, at which time, the majority of the island-
en, tired of waiting, and supposing that his land-
ing was deferred mitil the following morning, had
retired to their homes. It was also at this time
nearly impossible to recognise his person.
Counts Bertrand and Montholon with their
ladies. Count Las Cases and son. General Gour-
gaud, and myself, were also accommodated in Mr.
Porteous*s house.
At a very early hour on the morning of the 18th^
.Napoleon, accompanied by the admiral and Las
Cases, proceeded up to Longwood, a country-seat
of the lieut. governor s, which he was informed was
the place deemed most proper for his future resi-
dence. He was mounted on a spirited little black
horse, which was lent for the occasion by the go-
vernor. Colonel Wilks. On his way up he observed
a neat little spot called the Briars, situated about
two hundred yards from the road, belonging to a
gentleman named Balcombe, who, he was informed,
was to be his purveyor, and appeared pleased with
its romantic situation.
Longwood is situated on a plain, formed on the
summit of a mountain about eighteen hundred feet
above the level of the sea ; and including Dead-
wood, comprises fourteen or fifteen hundred acres
of land, a great part of which is planted with an
indigenous tree called gumwood. Its appearance
is sombre and unpromising. Napoleon, however,
said that he should be more contented to fix his
residence there, than to remain in the town as a
12 A YOICR FROM ST. KEUSKAJ
mark for the prj^ng curiosity
tators. Unfprtunatdy the house only condstedo^
five rooms on a ground-floor, which hadi been iniHti
one after the other, according to the wants of dte
fiunily, and without any regard to dther order or
conTcnience, and were totally inadequate for the
accommodation of himself and his suite. Several
additions were consequently necessary, which it
was evident could not be accomplished for some
weeks, even under the superintendence of so active
an officer as Sir George Cockbum. Upon his re-
turn from Longwood, Napoleon proceeded to the
Briars, and intimated to Sir George that he should
prefer remaining there, until the necessary addi-
tions were made to Longwood, to returning to
town, provided the proprietors consent could be
obtained. This request was immediately granted.
The Briars is the ns^me of an estate romantically
situated about a mile and a half from James Town;
comprising a few acres of highly cultivated land;
excellent fruit and kitchen gardens, plentifully
supplied with water, adorned with many delightM
shady walks, and long celebrated for the genuine
old English hospitality of the proprietor, Mr « Bal-
combe. About twenty yards from the dwelling*
house stood a little pavilion, consistiiig of xme
good room on the ground-floor, and two garrets,
which Napoleon, not willing to cause any inconve^
nience to the fomily of his host, Belected for hig
abode. In the lower room his camp-bed wbs pat
up^ and in this room he at^ slept^ rea4 ^^
A TOICB FmOM , AT. HB|iBN4. 13
tated a porticm of his eventM life« Las Cases
and Ms son were accommodated in one of the
garreta abov^ and NapoIeon*s premier valet de
ehambre, and others of his househcdd, slept in the
other, and upon the floor in the little buil oppo-
site the entrance of the lower room; At* first his
dinner was sent ready cooked from the town ; but
afterwards^' Mr. Balcombe found means to get a
kitchen fitted up for his use. The accommoda-
tions were so insufficient, that Napoleon frequently
walked out after he had finished his dinner, in or«
der to allow his domestics an opportunity of eating
theirs in the room which he had just quitted.
Mr Balcombe*s family consisted of his wife, two
daughters, one about twelve and the other fifteen
years of age, and two boys of five or six. The
young ladies tipoke French fluently, and Napoleon
frequently dropt in to play a rubber of whist or
hold a little cmwersazione. On one occasion he
indulged them by participating in a game of blind-
man's buff, very much to the amusement of the
young ladies. Nothing was left undone by this
worthy family that could contribute to lessen the
inconveniences of his situation. A Captain of ar
tilleiy resided at the Briars as orderly officer ; and
at first a seijeant and some soldiers were also sta
tioned there as an additional security : but upon
a remonstrance being made to Sir George Cock-
bum, the latter convinced of their inutility, or-
dered them to be removed. Counts Bertrand and
Mor.tholon^ with their respective ladies and chil«
l4 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
dren^ General Gourgaad, and myself, lived tog6*
ther, at Mr. Porteou8*s^ where a suitable table in
the French style was provided by Mr. Balcombe.
When any of them were desirous of paying a visit
to the Briars or of going out of the town else-
where, no further restriction was imposed upon
them than causing them to be accompanied by
myself or by some other British officer, or followed
by a soldier. In this manner, they were permitted
to visit any part of the island they pleased, except
the forts and batteries. They were visited by
Colonel and Mrs. Wilks, Lieutenant-colonel and
Mrs. Skelton, the members of council, and by
most of the respectable inhabitants, and the offi-
cers, both military and naval, belonging to the
garrison and squadron, and by their wives and
families. Little evening parties were occasionally
given by the French to their visitors, and matters
were managed in such a manner that there was
not much appearance of constraint. Sometimes the
Countesses Bertrand and Montholon, accompa-
nied by one or two casual island visitors, passed
an hour or two in viewing and occasionally pur-
chasing some of the productions of the East and
of Europe, exhibited in the shops of the trades-
men ; which, though far from offering the variety
or the magnificence of those of the Rue Vivienne,
tended nevertheless to distraire them a little from
the tedious monotony of a St. Helena residence,
-v Sir George Cockbum gave several well attended
baUs, to all of which they were invited; and
A TC»CB raOM 8T. HBLBMA* 15
wheie^ with the excq>tioii of Ni^xdeon^ they fte-
qnently went. Attention was paid to thdr feel
ings; and, upon the whole, matters, if not entirely
satisfiEu^ry to them upon some points, were at
least placed upon such a footing as to render their
existence tolerable, had not the island in itself pre-
sented so many local wants and miseries. It
would, perhaps, have been much better and more
consistent with propriety, had Napoleon been ac-
cmnmodated at Plantation House, until the repairs
and additions making to Longwood were finished,
instead of being so indifferently provided for in
point of lodg^g at the Briars. I must, however,
do the admiral the justice to say, that upon this
point I have reason to believe he was not at liber-
ty to carry his own wishes into effect. In the
mean time^ no exertions were spared by Sir George
Cockbum to enlarge and improve the old build-
ing, so as to render it capable of containing so
great an increase of inmates. For this purpose,
all the workmen, not only of the squadron, but in
the island, were put in requisition ; and Long-
wood, for nearly two months presented as busy a
scene as has ever been witnessed during the war,
in any of his majesty's dock-yards, whilst a fleet
was fitting out under the personal directions of
some of our first naval commanders. The admi-
ral, indefatigable in his exertions, was frequently
seen to arrive at Longwood shortly after 8un-rise5
stimulating by his presence the St. Helena work-
men, who, in general lazy and indolent, beheld
16 AV VOiCB KftOM 6T;
with'^aMtomshment the despatch and activity of a
nMo-af-^war succeed to the characteristic idlenesa
wfaick/ until then^ they had been accustomed both
to witness and to practise.
Erery day, bodies of two or three hundred sea-
men were employed in carrying up from James
Town, timber and other materials for building
together with furniture, which, though the best
w»s purchased at an enormous expense wherever
it couM be procured, was paltry and old fashioned.
So deficient was the island in the means of trans-
port, that almost every thing, even the very stones
for building, were carried up the steep side-path
on the heads and shoulders of the seamen, occa-
sionally assisted by fatigue-parties of the fifty-
third regiment. By means of incessant labour,
Longwood House was enlarged so as to admit, on
the 9th of December, Napoleon and part of his
household. Count and Countess Montholon and
children. Count and young Las Cases.
Napoleon himself had a small narrow bed-room
on the grounds-floor, a writing-room of the same
dimensions, and a sort of small ante-chamber, in
which a bath was put up. The writing-room
opened into a dark and low apartment, which was
converted into a dining room. The opposite wing
consisted of a bed-room larger than that of Napo-
leon*s, which, with an ante-chamber and closet,
formed the accommodation for Count and Countess
Montholon and son. From the dining-room a
door led to a drawing-room, about eighteen feet
A VOICE FROJII 8T. HiXENA* 17
by fifteen. In prolongation of this, one longer,
much higher, and more airy, was built of wood
by Sir George Cockbum, with three windows, on
each side, and a viranda leadlig to the garden.
This, although it laboured under the inconve-
nience of becoming intolerably hot towards the
evening, whenever the sun shone forth in tropical
splendour, by the rays penetrating the wood of
which it was composed, was the only good room
in the building. Las Cases had a room next the
kitchen,* which had formerly been occupied by
some of Colonel Skelton*s servants, through the
ceiling of which an opening was cut so as to ad-
mit a very narrow stair, leading to a sort of cock-
loft above, where his son reposed. The garrets
over the old building were floored, and converted
into apartments for Marchand, Cipriani, St. Denis,
Josephine, &c. From the sloping structure of the
roof, it was impossible to stand upright in those
garrets, unless in the centre, and the sun, pene-
trating through the slating, rendered them occa-
sionally insupportably hot. Additional rooms were
constructing for them and for General Gourgaud,
the orderly officer, and myself, who, in the mean
time, were accommodated with tents. Lieutenant
* Some time afterwards an apartment was built for the count
and his son at the back of the house, which was subsequently
divided into a bed and sitting room, with one for their servant.
They were so small that there was not room for a chair between
the bedsteads of the father and son ; and so low, that the
ceiling could be touched by a person standing on the floor.
TOIn I. D
IB •A VOICE FROM ST. HBLENA.
Bloody and Mr. Cooper, carpenter of the Northum-
berland, with several artificers from the ship, also
resided upon the premises ; the two former under
an old studding sail, which had been converted
into a tent, A very liberal table, (considering St.
Helena,) was found by order of Sir George Cock-
bum, for the orderly officers and myself.
Count and Countess Bertrand and family were
lodged in a little house* at Hut's Gate, about a mile
from Longwood, which, though uncomfortable,
was nevertheless hired at their own request, and
was the only one, which could be procured at a
moderate rate in the neighbourhood, as it was
found impossible to accommodate them at Long-
wood, until a new house, the foundation of which
was immediately laid down by Sir George Cock-
burn, could be finished.
During the time that Napoleon resided at the
Briars, I kept no regular journal, and consequent-
ly can give only a brief outline of what took
place. His time was occupied principally in dic-
tating to Las Cases and his son, or to Counts Ber-
trandy Montholon, and Gourgaud, some of whom
daily waited upon him. He occasionally received
visitors, (who came to pay their respects to him,)
on the lawn before the house ; and, in a few in-
stances, some who had received that permission,
were presented to him, when at Mr. Balcombe's in
the evening. During the whole time he was there,
he never left the grounds but once, when he strolled
down to the little residence of Major Hodson of
the St. Helena regiment^. where he conversed with
A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA. 19
the Major and Mrs. Hodson for half an . hour^
taking great notice of their children^ who were
exti'emely handsome. He frequently, however,
walked for hours in the shady paths and shrub*
beries of the Briars, where care was taken to pre-
vent his being intruded upon. ' During one of
these walks, he stopped and pointed out to me the
frightful precipices which environed us, and said^
** Behold your country's generosity, this is their
liberality to the unfortunate man, who, blindly re-
lying on what he so falsely imagined to be their
national character, in an evil hour unsuspectingly
confided himself to them. I once thought thaJ;
you were free : I now see that your ministers laugh
at your laws, which are, like those of other nations,
formed only to oppress the defenceless, and screen
the powerful, whenever your government has any
object in view-
At another time he discovei-ed through the inter-
pretation of Las Cases, that an old Malay, who
was hired by Mr. Balcombe as gardener, had been
entrapped from his native place on board of an
English ship several years before, brought to St.
Helena, smuggled on shore, illegally sold for a
slave, let out to whoever would hire him, and his
earnings chiefly appropriated to his master. This
he communicated to the admiral, who immediatdy
set on foot an enquiry ; the probable result would
have been the emancipation of poor Toby, had the
admiral remdned in command.*
^ When Napoleon discoyered, some time after the depar-
ture of Sir George Ck>ekbam, that the poor man bad not
20
A TOICK FROM 8T. HELENA.
Arrangements were made with the purveyor to
snpply certain quantities of provisions, wines, &c.
The scale of allowances was liberal, and such as
was deemed sufficient for the service of the liouse
by Cipriani, the maitre d'hot^l. It is true, that
sometimes the provisions were deficient in quan-
tity or bad in quality, but this was often caused,
either by the absolute want of resources on the
island, or by accident, and was generally reme-
died wherever such remedy could be applied, by
Sir George Cockbum.
A space of ahout twelve miles in circumference
was allotted to Napoleon, within which he might .
ride or walk, without being accompanied by a
British officer. Within this space was placed the
camp of the 53d, at Deadwood, about a mile from
Longwood House, and another at Hut's Gate, op*
posite Bertrand's, close to whose door there was an
officers guard. An arrangement was made with
Bertraud, by means of which persons famished
with a pass from him, had permission to enter
Longwood grounds. This was not productive of
inctovenience, as no person could, in the first in-
i^tance, go to Bertrand's, without permission from
' the admiral, the governor, or Sir George Bingham^
^ and consequently no improper persons were per-
^ttutted to h&ve access to him. The French also *
««been emancipated, he directed Mr. Balcombe to purchase him
from his master, set him at liberty, abd charge the amount
to Count Bertrand's private account. Sir Hudson Lowe,
- homteieir thought pioper to prohibit this« and the man wm
•till ia a slate of slateiy when I left fit. Heleaa.
A VOICE FBOM ST. HBLBNA. 21
were aDowed to send sealed letters to the inhabi-
tants and others residing upon the island, a regu-
lation not likely to prove injurious, as it was evi-
dent, that if they wished to transmit letters to
Europe, this could only be attempted after previous
arrangements having been made ; and it was highly
improbable that they would send, through the
medium of an English servant, or dragoon, letters^
the contents of which would compromise either
themselves or their friends, when the more simple
and natural mode of delivering them personally to
the individuals for whom they were intended, was
entirely in their power, and with whom they were
at liberty to visit and converse at pleasure.*
A subsdtem^s guard was posted at the entrance
of Longwood, about six hundred paces frpm the
house, and a cordon of sentinels and picquets,
were placed round the limits- At nine o'clock the
sentinels were drawn in and stationed in commu-
nication with each other ; surrounding the house
in such positions, that no person could come in or
go out without being seen and scrutinized by them.
At the entrance of the house double sentinels were
placed, and patroles were continually passing back-
ward and forward. After nine Napoleon was not
at liberty to leave the house, unless in company
with a field-officer ; and no person whatever was
allowed to pass without the counter-sign. This
* A strong proof of this is, that during the nine months
Sir George Cockburn had this system put in force^ not a sin-
gle letter was ever sent to Europe, unless through the
wgalar government channels.
1K2 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
State of affairs continued until day-light in the morn-
ing. Every landing-place in the island, and, indeed,
every place which presented the semblance of one,
was furnished with a picquet, and sentinels were
even placed upon e^fevy goat-path leading to the
sea, though, in truth, the obstacles presented by
nature in almost all the paths in that direction,
would, of themselves, have proved insurmountable
to so unwieldy a person as Napoleon.
From the various signal-posts on the island
ships are frequently discovered at twenty-four
leagues distance, and always long before they can
approach the shore. Two ships of war conti-
nually cruised, one to windward and the other
to leeward, to whom signals were made as soon as
a vessel was discovered from the posts on shore.
Every ship, except a British man of war, was ac-
companied down to the road by one of the cruizers,
who remained with her until she was either per-
mitted to anchor or was sent away. No foreign
vessels were allowed to anchor unless under cir-
cumstances of great distress, in which case, no
person from them was permitted to land, and an
oflSicer and party from one of the ships of war waa
sent on board to take charge of them as long as
they remained, as well as in order to prevent any
improper communication. Every fishing-boat be-
longing to the island was numbered, and anchored
every evening at sun-set, under the superinten-
dence of a lieutenant in the navy. No boats, ex-
cepting guard-boats from the ships of war, which
puUed about the island all night, were allowed ta
A TOICff FROM ST. HBLBNA. 23
be down after sun set. The orderly officer was
also instructed to ascertain the actual presence of
Napoleon, twice, in the twenty-four hours, which
was done with as much delicacy as possible. In
feet, every human precaution to prevent escape,
short of actually incarcerating or ench^ning him,
was adopted by Sir George Cockburn.
The officers of the 53d, and several of the most
respectable inhabitants, the officers of the St. He-
lena corps ahd their wives were introduced to Na-
poleon, at whose table some were weekly invited to
dme, and amongst them Mr. Doveton, Miss Dove-
ton, Colonel and Mrs. Skelton, Captain and Mrs.
Younghusband, Mr. Balcombe and family, &c.
Officers and other respectable passengers from
India and China, came in numbers to Longwood to
request a presentation to the fallen chief; in which
expectation, they were rarely disappointed, unless
mdisposition on his part, or the shortness of their
stay on the island prevented it. Many ladies and
gentlemen who came up at an inconvenient time,
have remained in my room long after the fore-top-
saal of the ship, which was to waft them to England^
was loosed, in the hope of Napoleon's presenting
himself at the windows of his apartments. I have
frequently been unable to withstand the solicita-
tions of more than one anxious fair expectant to
place some of the servants of the house in a situa-
tion, where they might be enabled to apprize them
of his approach to the windows tr door of the draw-
ing-room, whereby they might be afforded an oppor-
timity of stealing a glance at the renowned captive.
34 Awaicm from &t. hslbwa.
Some short time after his arrival at Longwood^
I communicated to him the news of Murat's death.
He heard it with calmness, and immediately de-
manded, if he had perished on the field of battle ?
At first, I hesitated to tell him that his brothei^in^
law had been executed like a criminal. On his
repeating the question, I informed him of the
manner in which Murat had been put to deaths
which he listened to without any change of coun-*
tenance. I also communicated the intelligence of
the death of Ney, ** He was a brave man, nobody
more so ; but he was a madman," said he. ^ He
has died without having the esteem of mankind.
He betrayed me at Fontainbleau : the proclama-
tion against the Bourbons which he said in his de«
fence I caused to be given to him, was written by
himself, and I never knew any thing about that
document until it was read to the troops. It is
true, that I sent him orders to obey me. What
could he do? His troops abandoned him. Not
only the troops, but the people wished to join me.**
I had lent him Miss Williams's " Present State of
Prance** to read. Two or three days afterwards he
said to me, while dressing, ^'That is a vile production
of that lady of yours. It is a heap of falsehoods.
This,** opening his shirt, and shewing his flannel
waistcoat, ** is the only coat of mail I ever wore.
My hat lined with steel too! There is the hat I
wore,** pointing to the one he always carried. **Oh,
she has doubtless lliken well paid for all the malice
and the falsehoods she has poured forth.
VwpoleoDiS hours of rising were uncertain, moch
A. VDICX FROM 8T« HBLINA. 35.
depending upon the quantum of rest be hadao*
joyed during the night. He was in general a bad
sleeper, and frequently got up at three or four
o'clock, in which case he read or wi'ote until six
or seven, at which time, when the weather was
fine, he sometimes went out to ride, attended by
some of his generals, or laid down again to repose
for a couple of hours. When he retired to bed, he
could not sleep unless the most perfect state of
darkness was obtained, by the closing of every
cranny through which a ray of light might pasi^
although I have sometimes seen him fall asleep on
the sofa, and remain so for a few minutes in broad
daylight. When ill, Marchand occasionally read
to him until he fell asleep. At times he rose at
seven, and wrote or dictated until breakfast time,
or, if the morning was very fine, he went out to
ride. When he breakfasted in his own room, it was
generally served on a little round table, at between
nine and ten ; when along with the rest of his suit^
at eleven : in either case a la fourchette. After
breakfast, he generally dictated to some of his suite
for a few hours, and at two or three o'clock re-
ceived such visitors, as, by previous appointment,
had been directed to present themselves. Between
four and five, when the weather permitted, he rode
out on horseback, or in the carriage for an hour
or two, accompanied by all his suite ; then return-
ed, and dictated or read until eight, or occasionally
VOL. I. E
26 A VOICB FROM 8T. HELBNA.
played a game at chess^ at which tune dinner was
announced^ which rarely exceeded twenty minutes
or half an hour in duration. He ate heartily and
fast^ and did not appear to be partial to high sea-
soned, or rich food. One of his most favourite
dishes was a roasted leg of mutton, of which I have
seen him sometimes pare the outside brown part
off; he was also partial to mutton chops. He
rarely drank as much as a pint of claret at his din*
ner, which was generally much diluted with water.
After dinner when the servants had withdrawn,
and when there were no visitors, he sometimes
played at chess or at whist, but more frequently
sent for a volume of Corneille, or of some other
esteemed author, and read aloud for an hour, or
conversed with the ladies and the rest of his suite.
He usually retired to his bed-room at ten or eleven,
and to rest, immediately afterwards. When he
breakfasted or dined in his own apartment, in the
inner rooms, (dans rintdrieur), he sometimes sent
for one of his suite to converse with him during
the repast. He never ate more than two meals a
day, nor, since I knew him, had he ever taken
more than a very small cup of coffee after each re-
past, and at no other time. I have also been in-
formed by those who have been in his semce for
fifteen years, that he had never exceeded that
quantity since they first knew him.
On the 14th of April, the Phaeton frigate. Cap-
tain Stanfell, arrived from England, having on
board LieatirGeneral Sir Hudson Lowe^ Lady
Lowe, Sir Thomas Reade^ Deputy Adjt. General,
Major Gorrequer, aid-d&-camp to Sir Hudson
Lowe, Lieut.-colonel Lyster, inspector of militia.
Major Emmet of the engineers, Mr. Baxter, deputy
inspector of hospitals, Lieutenants Wortham and
Jackson of the engineers and staff corps, and
other officers. The following day, Sir Hudson
Lowe landed and was installed as governor, with
the customary forms. A message was then sent
to Longwood that the new governor would visit
Napoleon at nine o*clock on the following morn-
ing. Accordingly, a little before that time. Sir
Hudson Lowe arrived, in the midst of a pelting
storm of rain and wind, accompanied by Sir
George Cockbum, and followed by his numerous
staff. As the hour fixed upon was rather unsea-
sonable, and one, at which Napoleon had never
received any person, intimation was given to the
governor on his arrival, that Napoleon was indis-
posed, and could not receive any visitors that
morning. This appeared to disconcert Sir Hud-
son Lowe, who, after pacing up and down be-
fore the windows of the drawing-room for a few
minutes, demanded at what time on the follow-
ing day he could be introduced: two o'clock
was fixed upon for the interview, at which time
he arrived, accompanied as before by the admiral,
and followed by his staff« They were at first
2S: M^i/mem noM an HBidBNiu
QfAiei^d into the dimng^room behind which waai
the saloon, where they were to be received. A
proposal was made by Sir George Cockbum
to Sir Hudson Lowe, that the latter should be
introduced by him, as being, in his opinion, the
most official and proper manner of resigning to
him the charge of the prisoner ; for which pur-^
pose. Sir George suggested, that they should en*
ter the room together. This was acceded to by
Sir Hudson Lowe. At the door of the di*awing
room stood Novarre, one of the French valets,
whose business it was to announce the namea
of the persons introduced. After waiting a few
minutes, the door was opened and the governor
called for. As soon as the word Governor, was
pronounced, Sir Hudson Lowe started up, and
stepped forward so hastily, that he entered the
room before Sir Greorge Cockbum was well ap-
prised of it. The door was then closed, and
when the admual presented himself, the valet^
not having heard his name called, told him that
be could not enter. Sir Hudson Lowe remained
about a quarter of an hour with Napoleon, during
which time, the conversation was chiefly carried
on in Italian, and subsequently the officers of his
Btafl* were introduced. The admiral did not again
apply for admittance.
Qn the 18th I brought up some newspapers to
Napoleoi^ who^ B&ex asking me some questions
FROM ST. HBLKNA* 39
^conoeming^ the meeting of parliament^ inquired
irho had lent the newspapers ? I replied^ that the
fidmiral had lent them to me. Napoleon said, ^^ I
believe that he was rather ill-treated the day be
-came up with the new governor, what does he say
abont it ?** I replied, " the admiral conceived it as
^m insult offered to him, and certainly felt greatly
offended at it. Some explanation has, however,
been given by General Montholon upon the sub-
ject." Napoleon said, "I shall never see him
with pleasure, but he did not announce him-
. self as being desirous of seeing me." I replied,
^ he wished to introduce officially to you the
new governor, and thought, that, as he was to act
in that capacity, it was not necessary to be pre-
viously announced." Napoleon answered, " He
should have sent me word that he wanted to see
me by Bertrand ; but," continued he, " he wished
to embroil me with the new governor, and for that
purpose persuaded him to come up here at nine
o'clock in the morning, though he well knew that
I never had received any persons, nor ever would,
at that hour. It is a pity that a man who really
has talents, for I believe him to be a very good
officer in his own service, should have behaved in
the manner he has done to me. It shews the
greatest want of generosity to insult the unfor
tunate ; because insulting those who are in youi
power, and consequently cannot make any op
30 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA.
position, is a certain sign of an ignoble mind.**
I said, that I was perfectly convinced the whole
was a mistake, that the admiral never had the
smallest intention of insulting or embroiling him
with the governor. He resumed, *' I, in my mis-
fortunes, sought an asylum, and instead of that,
1 have found contempt, ill-treatment, and in-
sult. Shortly after I came on board of his ship,
as I did not wish to sit at table for two or three
hours, guzzling down wine to make myself drunk,
I got up from table, and walked out upon deck.
While I was going out, he said, in a contemp-
tuous manner, * I believe the general has never
read Lord Chesterfield ;* meaning, that I was
deficient in politeness, and did not know how
to conduct myself at table.** I endeavoured to
^explain to him that the English, and above all,
naval officers, were not in the habit of going
through many forms, and that it was wholly un-
intentional on the part of the admiral. " If," said
he, *^ Sir George wanted to see Lord St. Vincent,
or Lord Keith, would he not have sent before-
hand, and asked, at what hour it might be con-
venient to see him ; and should not I be treated
with at least as much respect as either of them ?
Putting out of the question that I have been a
Crowned head, I think,** said he, laughing, " that
the actions which I have performed, are at least
as well known as any thing they have done.* I
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. SI
endeavoured again to excuse the admiral^ upon
which he recalled to my mind, what he had just
related about Lord Chesterfield^ and asked me
" what could that mean T
General Montholon came in at this moment
with a translation of a paper sent by Sir Hudson
Lowe, which the domestics, who were willing to
remain, were required to sign ; it was accen>panied
by a translation of the following letter ; — *
Downing Street, lOth January, 1816.
I have at present to let you know, that it is the
pleasure of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent,
that on your arrival at St. Helena, you should
communicate to all the persons forming the suite
of Napoleon Bonaparte, including the domestics,
that they are at liberty to quit the island imme-
diately to return to Europe ; adding, that none
vnll be permitted to remain at St. Helena, unless
those who shall give a written declaration, which
shall be deposited in your hands, that it is their
desire to remain in the island, and to participate
in the restrictions which it is necessary to impose
upon Napoleon Bonaparte personally.
(Signed) Bathurst.
• Those amongst them who shall determine to
return to Europe, must be sent by the first fa-
* The translation is given in Appendix No. 2. — The reader will
not consider me accountable for the accuracy of the French sent from
Plantation House to Longwood.
32 ▲ VOICB FROM ST. HSLBNA.
Toorable occasion to the Cape of good Hope ; the
governor of that colony wiU be charged to pro-
vide those persons with the means of passage to
Europe.
(Signed) Bathurst.
The tenor of the accompanying declaration,
which the domestics were thus required to sign,
was not approved of by Napoleon, who, moreover,
pronounced it to be too literally translated to be
easily comprehended by a Frenchman. He ac-
cordingly desired Count Montholon to retire into
the next room, where the following was substi-
tuted: — ^^*Nous soussign6s, voulant continuer k
rester au service de S. M. TEmpereur Napol^n,
consentons, quelqu* affreux que soit le s^jour de
Ste, Hd^ne, a y rester, nous soumettant aux re-
strictionSj quoiqu'injustes et arbitraires, qu'on a
impos^es k S. M. et aux personnes de son service."*
— *^ There," said he, " let those who please sign
that ; but do not attempt to influence them, either
one way or the other"
The demand made to the domestics to sign the
* Trantlation^^-'We the undersigned^ desiring to remain in the
service of the Emperor Napoleon, consent^ however frightful the abode
in St, Helena may he, to remain there> submitting ourselves to the
restrictions^ however unjust and arbitrary , which are imposed upon hij
tai^estj^ and the persons in his service.
(Here followed the signatures.)
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 33
paper sent by Sir II. Lowe, had produced a wish
for fntiher explanation amongst them ; and some
who applied to Sir Thomas lleade for that pur-
pose, received answers of a nature to inculcate a
belief that those who signed it, would be com
pelied to remain in the island during the life-time
of Bonaparte. This, however, did not prevent
any of them from signing the paper whicii was
presented to them.
I9th. — ^The weather has been extremely bad for
some days, which has contributed, with other cir-
cumstances, to make Napoleon a little dissatisfied.
** In this accursed island {tsola maladetta)^ said he,
" there is neither sun nor moon to be seen for the
gi'eatest part of the year. Constant rain and fog,
It is worse than Capri. Have you ever been at
Capri ?" continued he. I replied in the affirmative.
" There,** said he, " you can have cveiy thing you
want from the continent in a few hours." He after-
wards made a few remarks upon some absurd false-
hoods which had been published in the ministerial
papers respecting him ; and asked if it were " possi-
ble that the English could be so foolishly credulous
as to believe all the stuff we published about him.**
21a/. — Captain Hamilton of the Havannah fri-
gate had an audience with Napoleon in the garden.
Napoleon told him, that when he (Napoleon) had
arrived on the island, he had been asked what he
desired to have ? He therefore begged of liim to
Vol. I. p
34 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA.
say that he desired his liberty^ or^ the executioner
(le bourreau). That the English ministers had un-
worthily violated the most sacred rights of hospi-
tality towards him by declaring him a prisoner,
which savages would not have done in the situation
in which he stood.
Colonel and Miss Wilks were to proceed to
England in the Havannah. Before their departure,
they came up to Longwood, and had a long inter-
view with Napoleon. He was highly pleased with
Miss Wilks, (a highly accomplished and elegant
young lady,) and gallantly told her that ^* she ex-
ceeded the description which had been given of
her to him.**
24th. — ^The weather still gloomy. Napoleon at
first was out of spirits, but gradually became
enlivened. Conversed much about the admiral,
whom he professed to esteem as a man of talent in
his profession. ^' He is not,** said he, " a man of
a bad heart ; on the contrary, I believe him to be
capable of a generous action; but he is rough,
overbearing, vain, choleric, and capricious ; never
consulting any body ; jealous of his authority ;
caring little of the manner in which he exercises
it, and sometimes violent without dignity.**
He then made some observations about the bul-
locks which had been brought from the Cape of
Good Hope by the government, and amongst
which a great mortality had taken place. "The
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 35
admiral, said he, " ought to have contracted for
them, instead of making them government pro-
perty. It is well known that whatever belongs to
a government is never taken any care of, and is
plundered by every body. If he had contracted
with some person, I will venture to say very few
would have died, instead of a third, as has been
the case.** He then asked me many questions
about the relative price of articles in England and
St. Helena, and concluded by inquiring if I took
any fees for attending sick people on the island.
I replied in the negative, which seemed to surprise
him. " Corvisart,** said he, *^ notwithstanding his
being my first physician, possessed of great wealth,
and in the habit of receiving many rich presents
from me, constantly took a Napoleon for each
visit he paid to the sick. In your country par-
ticularly every man has his trade : the member
of parliament takes money for his vote, the mi-
nisters for their places, the lawyers for their opi-
nion."
26th. — ^Napoleon asked several questions relative
to the ships which had been sent to approach the
island. Was anxious to know if Lady Bingham,
who had been expected for some time, had ar-
rived. Observed how anxious Sir George Bing-
ham must be about her. Asked me if the ship
was furnished with a chronometer by government ;
to which I replied in the negative. He observed
36 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
that the vessel might very probably miss the
island, through the want of one. ^' How shame-
ful it is,** said he, "for your government to put
three or four hundred men on board of a ship
destined for this place without a chronometer,
thereby running the risk of ship and cargo, of the
value perhaps of half a million, together with the
lives of so many poor devils, (poveri diavoli) for the
sake of saving three or four hundred francs for a
watch. I,** continued he, ordered that every ship
employed in the French service should be supplied
with one. It is a weakness in your government
not to be accounted for." He then asked me if it
were true that a court of inquiry was then holding
upon some officer for having made too free with
the bottle. " Is it a crime added he, " for the
English to get drunk, and will a court-martial be
the consequence ? for, if that were the case, you
would have nothing but courts-martial every day.
was a little merry on board every day after
dinner." I observed that there was a wide differ-
ence between being merry and getting drunk.
He laughed and repeated what he had said rela-
tive to courts-martial. " Is it true," said he then,
'* that they are sending out a house and furniture
for me, as there are so many lies in your news-
papers, that I have my doubts, especially as I
have heard nothing about it officially t I told him
^hat Sir Hudson Lowe had assured me of the
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 37"
feet, and that Sir Thomas Reade professed to have
seen both the house and the furniture.
Many changes relative to the treatment of the
French have taken place since Sir Hudson ar-
rived. Mr. Brooke, the colonial secretary, Major
Gorrequer, Sir Hudson's aid-de-camp, and other
official persons went round to the different shop-
keepers in the town, ordering them, in the name
of the governor, not to give credit to any of the
French, or to sell them any article, unless for
ready money, under pain of not only losing the
amount of the sum so credited, but of suffering
such other punishment as the governor might think
proper to award. They were further directed to
hold no communication whatsoever with them,
without special permission from the governor,
under pain of being turned off the island.
Many of the officers of the 53d, who were in the
habit of calling to see Madame Bertrand at Hut*8
Gate, received hints that their visits were not
pleasing to the authorities lately arrived ; and the
officer of the Hut's Gate guard was ordered to
report the names of all persons entering Ber-
trantfs house. Sentinels were placed in different
directions to prevent the approach of visitors, se-
veral of whom, including some ladies, were turned
back. A sensation of unwillingness, or rather
fear, to approach the exiles, very different from
the feeling which existed a few days ago, appeared
38 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
to be pretty general amongst the inhabitants^ and
even amongst the military and naval officers. The
governor was very minute in his inquiries to those
persons who had formerly conversed with Napo-
leon, or any of his suite. Several of the officers
of the 53d went to Hut*s Gate to take leave of
Countess Bertrand, (to use their own words,) as
they declared the impossibility there was for men
of honour to comply with the new regulations. It
was expected and required that all persons who
visited at Hut's Gate, or at Longwood,* should
make a report to the governor or to Sir Thomas
Reade of the conversations they had held with the
French. Several additional sentinels were placed
around Longwood House and grounds.
May 3rd. — ^The weather has been extremely wet
and foggy, with high wind for several days, during
which time Napoleon did not stir out of doors^
Messengers and letters continually arrived from
Plantation House. TTie governor was apparently
very anxious to see Napoleon, and seemingly dis-
trustful, although the i-esidents of Longwood were
assured of his actual presence by the sound of
his voice. He had some communications with
Count Bertrand relative to the necessity which he
said there was, that some of his officers should
see Napoleon daily. He also came to Longwood
frequently himself, and, finally, after some diffi-
culty, succeeded in obtaining an interview with
A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA. 39
Napoleon in his bed-chamber, which lasted about
a quarter of an hour. Some days before, he sent
for me, asked a variety of questions concerning
the captive, walked round the house several times,
and before the windows, measuring and laying
down the plan of a new ditch, which he said he
would have dug, in order to prevent the cattle
from trespassing. On his arrival at the angle,
formed by the union of two of the old ditches, he
observed a tree, the branches of which consider-
ably overhung it. This appeared to excite consi-
derable alarm in his excellency's breast, as he de-
sired me to send instantly for Mr. Porteous, the
superintendent of the company's gardens. Some
minutes having elapsed after I had despatched a
messenger for that gentleman, the governor, who
had his eyes continually fixed upon the tree, de-
sired me, in a hasty manner, to go and fetch Mr.
Porteous instantly myself. On my return with
him, I found Sir Hudson Lowe walking up and
down, contemplating the object which appeared
to be such a source of alarm. In a hurried man-
ner, he ordered Mr. Porteous to send some men
instantly to have the tree grubbed up, and before
leaving the ground, directed me in an undertone
to " see that it was done."
On the 4th, Sir Hudson Lowe went to see
Count Bertrand, with whom he had an hour's
conversation, which did not appear to be of a
iO A YOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
nature very pleasing to him, as, on retiring, he
mounted his horse, muttering something, and
evidently out of humour. Shortly afterwards, I
learned the purport of liis visit. He commenced
by saying, that the French made a great many
complaints without any reason ; that, considering
their situations, they were very well treated, and
ought to be thankful, instead of making any com-
plaints. It appeared to him, however, that in-
stead of being so, they abused the libenxl treat-
ment which was practised towards them. That
he was determined to assure himself of General
Bonaparte's actual presence daily, by the obser-
vation of an officer appointed by him, and that
this officer should visit him, at fixed hours, for
such pui-pose. During the whole of it, he spoke
in a very authoritative and indeed contemptuous
manner, frequently referring to the great powers
with which he was invested.
6th. — ^Napoleon sent Marchand for me at about
nine o'clock. Was introduced by the back-door
into his bed-room, a description of which I shall
endeavour to give as minutely and as correctly
as possible. It was about fourteen feet by twelve,
and ten or eleven feet in height. The walls were
lined with brown nankeen, bordered and edged
with common green bordering paper, and desti-
tute of surbace. Two small windows, without
pullles^ looking towards the camp of the 53d re-
A yOKE FROM ST. HELENA. 41
gixnent, one of which was thrown up and fastened
, Irjr a piece of notched wood. Window-curtains
of white long cloth, a small fire-place, a shabby
grate, and fire-irons to match, with a paltry man*
tailpiece . of wood, painted white, upon which
stood a small marble bust of his son. Above the
mantel-piece hung the portrait of Marie Louise,
and four or five of young Napoleon, one of which
was embroidered by the hands of the mother. A
little more to the right hung also a miniature
picture of the Empress Josephine, and to the left
was suspended the alarm chamber-watch of Fre-
deric the Great, obtained by Napoleon at Pots-
dam ; while on the right, the consular watch, en-
graved with the cypher B, hung by a chain of the
plaited hair of Marie Louise, from a pin stuck in
the nankeen lining. The floor was covered with a
second-hand carpet, which had once decorated the
dining-room of a lieutenant of the St. Helena artil-
lery. In the right-hand corner was placed the
little plain iron camp-bedstead, with green silk
curtains, upon which its master had reposed on the
fields of Marengo and Austerlitz. Between the
windows there was a paltry second-hand chest
of drawers : and an old book-case with green
blinds, stood on the left of the door leading to
the next apartment. Four or five cane-bottomed
chairs painted green were standing here and there
about the room. Before the back-door, there was
VOL. I. G
42 A YOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
a screen covered with nankeen, and between that
and the fire-place, an old-fashioned sofa covered ,
with white long cloth, upon which reclined Napo-
leon, clothed in his white morning gown, white
loose trowsers and stockings all in one. A che-
quered red madras upon his head, and his shirt
collar open without a cravat. His air was melan*
choly and troubled. Before him stood a little round
table, with some books, at the foot of which lay,
in confusion upon the carpet, a heap of those which
he had already perused, and at the foot of the sofa,
facing him, was suspended a portrait of the Em-
press Marie Louise, with her son in her arms. In
front of the fire-place stood Las Cases with his
arms folded over his breast, and some papers in
one of his hands. Of all the former magnificence
of the once mighty emperor of France, nothing
was present except a superb wash-hand stand, con-
taining a silver basin, and water-jug of the same
metal, in the left hand corner.
Napoleon, after a few questions of no impor-
tance, asked me in both French and Italian in the
presence of Count Las Cases, the following ques-
tions : — ^^ You know that it was in consequence
of my application that you were appointed to at-
tend upon me. Now I want to know from you
precisely and truly, as a man of honour, in what
rituation you conceive yourself to be, whether as
my surgeon^ as M. Maingaud was, or the sui^geon
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 43
of a prison-ship and prisoners ? Whether you have
orders to report every trifling occurrence, or ill-
nesSy or what I say to you, to the governor ?
Answer me candidly ; What situation do you con<
ceive yourself to be in ?" I replied, " As your sur-
geon, and to attend upon you and your suite. I have
received no other orders than to make an imme*
diate report in case of your being taken seriously
ill, in order to have promptly the advice and as-
sistance of other physicians."* '^ First obtaining
my consent to call in others," demanded he, ^^is
it not soT I answered, that I would certainly
obtain his previous consent. He then said, *^iS
you were appointed as surgeon to a prison, and
to report my conversations to the governor, whom
I take to be, the head of the spies, (tm capo di spia-
ni) I would never see you again. Do not,** conti-
nued he, (on my replying that I was placed about
him as a surgeon, and by no means as a spy^) '^ sup-
pose that I take you for a spy ; on the contrary, I
have never had the least occasion to find fault with
you, and I have a friendship for you and an esteem
for your character, a greater proof of which I could
not give you than asking you candidly your own
opinion of your situation ; as you being an English-
man, and paid by the EngUsh government, might
perhaps be obliged to do what I have asked." I
replied as before, and that in my professional ca-
pacity I did not consider myself to belong to any
44 A YOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
particular country. ^^ If I am taken seriously ill,"
said he, " then acquaint me with your opinion, and
ask my consent to call in others. This governor,
during the few days that I was melancholy, and
had a mental affliction in consequence of the treat-
ment I receive, which prevented me from going
out, in order that I might not weary {ennvyer)
others with my afflictions, wanted to send his physi-
cian to me under the pretext of enquiring after my
health. I desired Bertrand to tell him that I had
not sufficient confidence in his physician to take
any thing from his hands. That if I were ideally
ill, I would send for you, in whom I have confi-
dence, but that a physician was of no use in such
cases, and that I only wanted to be left alone. I
undei-stand that he proposed an officer should enter
my chamber to see me, if I did not stir out. Any
person," continued he, with much emotion, "who
endeavours to force his way into my apartment,
shall be a corpse the moment he enters it. If he
ever eats bread or meat again, I am not Napoleon.
ITiis I am determined on ; I know that I shall be
killed afterwards, as what can one do against a
camp ? I have faced death too many times to feai
it. Besides, I am convinced that this governor has
been sent out by Lord — I told him a few
days ago, that if he wanted to put an end to me^
he would have a very good opportunity by sending
somebody to force his way into my chamber. That
A ' ▼OlCfi : FROM ST. ) HBLENA^ 45
I woiild immediately ipake a corpse of the first
that entered^ aiul then I should be of course des-
patched^ and he might write home to his govern -
ment that ^Bonaparte' was killed in a brawl. I
also tpld him to leave me alone, and not to torment
me with his hateful presence* I have seen Prussians,
Tartars, Cossacs, Calihucks, &c. but never before in
my life have I beheld so ill favoured, and so for-
bidding a countenance. He carries the im-
pressed upon his face. (II porte le empreint
sur son visage.^)
I endeavoured to convince him that the English
ministry would never be capable of what he sup-
posedj and that such was not the character of the
nation. ^ I had reason to complain of the admiral,"
said he : '^ but, though he treated me roughly, he
never behaved in such a manner as this Prussian.
A few days ago, he in a manner insisted upon see-
ing me, when I was undressed in my chamber, and
a prey to melancholy. The admiral never asked
to see me a second time, when it was intimated to
him that I was unwell or undressed ; as he well
knew, that although I did not go out, I was still
to be found."
After this, he mentioned his apprehensions of
being afflicted with an attack of gout. I recom-
mended him to take much more exercise. *^ What
can I do,** replied he, *^ in this execrable isle,
where you cannot ride a mile without being wet
46 A YOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA.
•
through: an island that even the English them-
selves complain of^ though used to humidity IT
He concluded by making some severe remarks
upon the governor's conduct, in having sent his
aid-de-camp and secretary round the shops, for-
bidding the shopkeepers to give the French cre-
dit, under pain of severe punishment.
Qth. — Had some conversation with Napoleon
upon the i^ame subject as yesterday, which com-
menced by my submitting to him, that according
to the strict letter of the conversation of yesterday,
it would be impossible for me to reply to any ques-
tion addressed to me relative to him or to his af-
fairs, whether made by the governor or any one
else, which he must be aware, was, in my situation,
impossible. Moreover, that I had been, from the
time of my arrival, and was then, frequently em-
ployed as a medium of communication to the au-
thorities of the island, which I hoped I had executed
to his satisfaction. He replied, "Are you to be my
surgeon, or surgeon of a galley {d^une galSre) ; and
are you expected to report what you observe or
hear ?" I answered, " I am your surgeon, and
not a spy, and one in whom I hope you may place
confidence ; I am not surgeon of a galley, {(Tune
galere) nor do I consider it imperative on me to
report any thing which is not contrary to my alle-
giance as a British officer, &c.** I also endeavoured
to explain, that I would regulate my conduct with
▲ TOICS FROM 8T. HELENA. 4f
reelect to his conversations by the rules which
existed to ttiat effect amongst gentlemen^ (galantuo^
mini) and as I would do^ were I attached in a similar
capacity to an English nobleman ; but that total si-
lence was out of my power, if he wished me to pre-
serve any commimication with the governor or with
any other English persons on the island. He replied^
that all he wanted of me was to act as a gentleman^
{gakmtuomo) and ^' as you would do were you sur-
geon to Lord St. Vincent. I do not mean to bind you
to sUence^ or to prevent you from repeating any idle
chat {bavardage) you may hear me say; but I want
to prevent you from allowing yourself to be cajoled
and made a spy of^ unintentionally on your part,
by this governor. After that to your God, your
duty is to be paid to your own country andt sove-
reign, and your next, to your patients.*
" During the short interview that this governor
had with me in my bed-chamber,** continued he,
**one of the first things which he proposed was
to send you away, and to take his own surgeon in
your place. This he repeated twice ; and so ear-
nest was he to gain his object, that although I
gave him a most decided refusal, when he was
going out he turned about and again proposed it-
I never saw such a horrid countenance. He sat
on a chair opposite to my sofa, and on the little
table between us there was a cup of coffee. His
physiognomy made such an unfavourable impres-
48 A' VOICS FROM ST. HBLSNA.
sion upon me, that I thought his looks ^ had poi*
soned it, and I ordered Marchand to throw it out
of the window ; I could not have swallowed it for
the world.**
Count Las Cases, who entered Napoleon's room
a few minutes after the departure of the governor,
told me, that the emperor had said to him,—
*' Mon Dieu ! cest une figure hien sinistrey fose i
peine le dire, mats c'est a ne pas prendre une tasse
de cafiySil Had dimeuri un instant seul aupfdsr*
I2th. — A proclamation was issued yesterday by
Sir Hudson Lowe, prohibiting ^* any person from
receiving or being the bearer of any letters or com-
nmnications from General Bonaparte, the officers of
his suite, his followers or servants, of any descrip-
tion, dr to deliver any to them, under pain of being
arrested immediately and dealt with accordingly.**
I4th. — Saw Napoleon in his di-essing-room ;
he complained of being affected with catarrhal
symptoms, the cause of which I attributed to his
having walked out in the wet with very thin shoes,
and recommended him to wear galoches, which he
ordered Marchand to provide. " I have promised,**
added he, " to see a number of people to-day ;
and, though I am indisposed, I shall do so.** Just
at this moment some of the visitors came close to
the window of his dressing-room, which was open^
* My God ! what a rascally countenance^ I regret to say 80> but it
would prevent me from taking a cup of coffee^ if lie had been near it
but for an instant.
A WMCE FROM ST. VRANA. 49
tried to put aside the curtain and peep in. Na-
poleon drat the Mrindow, asked some questions
abont Lady Moira, and observed, * The governor
sent an invitation to Bertrand for General Bona-
parte to come to Plantation House to meet Liady
Moira. I told Bertrand to return no answer to it.
If he really wanted me to see her, he would have
pot Plantation House in the limits ; but to send
sach an invitation knowing that I must go in
charge of a guard if I wished to avail myself of
it, was an insult. Had he sent word that Lady
Moira was sick, fatigued, or pregnant, I would
have gone to see her ; although I think, that under
an the circumstances, she might have come to see
mCy or Madame Bertrand, or Montholon, as she was
free and unshackled. TTie first sovereigns in the
world have not been ashamed to pay me a visit.**
**It appears,** added he, " that this governor
was with Blucher, and is the writer of some offi-
cial letters to your government, descriptive of part
of the operations of 1814. I pointed them out to
him the last time I saw him, and asked him. Is it
you. Sir {Est-ce vous Monsieur) ? He replied,
* Yes.* I told him that they were full of lies, and
of nonsense (pleines de/atisset^s et de sottises). He
shrugged up his shoulders, appeared confused, and
replied, I anticipated seeing that {J'ai cru voir cela).
If,* continued he, " those letters were the only ao-
counts he sent, he betrayed his country.**
VOL. I. H
50 A VOICE FROM 8T. HBLBNA.
Count Bertrand came in^ and announced that
several persons had arrived to see him, besides
those who had received appointments for the day.
Amongst other names, that of Arbuthnot was
mentioned. Napoleon asked me who he was. I
answered, that I believed him to be brother to the
person who had been ambassador at Constanti-
nople. " Ah, yes, yes,** said Napoleon with a sly
smile. " when Sebastian! was there. You may say
that I shall receive them.**
^ Have you conversed much with the governor's
physician ?" said Napoleon. I replied in the aflSr-
mative, adding, that he was the chief of the medi-
cal staff, but • not attached to the governor as his
body physician. " What sort of a man is he — does
he look like an honest man, or a man of talent ?** I
replied, that his appeai'ance was very much in his
favour, and that he was considered to be a man of
talent and of science.
16th. — Sir Hudson Lowe had an inter^aew of
about half an hour with Napoleon, which did not
appear to be satisfactory. Saw Napoleon walking
in the garden, in a very thoughtful manner a few
minutes subsequent to the governor's departure,
and gave to him the Dictionary of the Weather-
cocks {Dictionnaire des Crirouettes), and a few news-
papers. After he had asked me from whom I had
procured them, he said, ^^ Here has been this jack-
anapes to torment me (viso di hoja a tormentarmi).
A TOICB FRf 4 ST. HBLINA. 51
Tell him that I never want to see him, and that I
wish he may not come again to annoy me with his
hateful presence. I^et him never again come near
me, unless it is with orders to despatch me ; he will
then find my breast ready for the blow ; but until
then, let me be free of his odious countenance ; I
cannot accustom myself to it."*
17th. — Napoleon in very good spirits. De-
manded what the news was. I informed him that
the ladies he had received a few days before were
highly delighted with his manners, especially as
from what they had read and heard, they had been
prepossessed with opinions of a very different na-
ture. ^^AlC said he, laughing, ^^I suppose that
they imagined I was some ferocious homed ani-
mal.*
Some conversation occurred touching what Sir
Robert Wilson had written respecting him about
Jaffa, Captain Wright &c. I observed, that as
those assertions had never been fully contradicted,
they were believed by numbers of English. " Bah,"
replied Napoleon, " those calumnies will fall of
themselves, especially now that there are so many
English in France, who will soon find out that
they are all falsehoods. Were Wilson himself not
convinced of the untruth of the statements which
he had once believed, do you think that he would
have assisted Lavalette to escape out of prison ?**
19th. — ^Napoleon in very good humour. Told
SI* A^TOICB FROM 8T. HRLBNA,
him that the late governor of Java, Mr. Raffled^
and his staffs had arrived on their way to England,
and were very desirous of having the honour of
paying their respects to him. ^^ What kind oi a
man is the govemerT I replied^ Mr. Uimston
informed me^ that he is a very worthy man {un bra^
vissimo uomo) ; and possessed of great leai'ning and
talents. ** Well then," said he, " I shall see them
in two or three hours when I am dressed.""
•*Thi8 governor,** said he, *Ms a fool {e un emhe^
cille). He asked Bertrand the other day, if he
(Bertrand) ever had asked any of the passengers
bound to England, whether they intended to go to
France, as, if he had done so, he must not continue
such a pi'actice. Bertrand replied, that he certain-
ly had, and moreover had begged of some to tell
his relations that they were in good health. ^But/
says this imbecile, ' you must not do so.' * Why,"*
says Bertrand, * has not your government permit*
ted me to write as many lettere as I like, and can
any government deny me the liber%; of speaking ?
Bertrand,**. continued he •* ought to have replied,
that galley-slaves and prisoners under sentence
of death were permitted to inquire after their
relations.** He then observed how unnecessary
and vexatious it was to require that an officer
should accompany him, should he be desirous
of visiting the interior of the island. '* It is all
right,* continued he, '^ to keep me away from the
A TOICX FROM 8T. H«LSNA« S9
town and the searfiide. I would never desire to
approach either the one or the other. All that is
necessary for my security, is to guanl well the
searhorders of this rock. Let him pUiee his
picquets round the island close by the sea and
in communication with each other, which he
might easily do, with the number of men he has,
and it would be impossible for me to escape.
Cannot he moreover put a few horsemen in mo-
tion when he knows I am going out ? Cannot he
place them on the hills, or where he likes, with-
out letting me know any thing about it, / will
never appear to ^ee them. Cannot he do this,
^thout obliging me to tell Poppleton that I want
to ride out — ^not that I have any objection to Pop-
pleton — ^I k>ve a good scddier of any nation ; but
I will not do any thing which may lead people to
imagine that I am a prisoner — I have been forced
here contrary., to the law of nations and I will
never recognise their right in detaining me« My
asking an officer to accompany me would be a
tacit acknowledgement of it. I have no intention
to attempt an escape, although I have not given
my word of honour not to try. Neither will I ever
give it, as that would be acknowledging myself a
prisoner which I will never do. Cannot they im-
pose additional restrictions when ships arrive ;
and above all, not allow any ship to sail until my
Bctaal presence is ascertained^ without inflicting
54 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
fiuch useless, and because useless^ vexatious re-
strictions. It is necessary for my health that I
should ride seven or eight leagues daily, but I
will not do so with an officer, or a guard over me.
It has always been my maxim, that a man shews
more real courage in supporting and resisting
the calamities and misfortunes which befal him^
than by making away with himself. That is the
action of a losing gamester, or a ruined spend-
thrift, and is a want of courage, instead of a proof
of it. Your government will be mistaken, if they
imagine, that, by seeking every means to annoy
me, such as sending me here depriving n>e of aU
communication with my nearest and dearest rela-
tives, so that I am ignorant if one of my blood
exists, isolating me from the world, imposing
useless and vexatious restrictions which are daily
getting worse, sending the dregs of society {les
f4ces des homines) as keepers, they will weary out
my patience, and induce me to commit suicide.
They are mistaken. Even if I ever bad entertain-
ed a thought of the kind, the idea of the gratifi-
cation it would afford to them, would prevent me
from completing it."
^* That palace,' said he, laughing, " which they
say they have sent out for me, is so much money
thrown into the sea. I would rather that they had
sent me four hundred volumes of books, than all
their furniture and houses. In the first place it
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA. 55
•
will require some years to build it^ and before
that time I shall be no more. ' All must be done
by the labour of those poor soldiers and sailors.
I do not wish it, I do not wish to incur the hatred
of those poor fellows, who are already sufficiently
miserable by having been sent to this detestable
place, and harrassed in the manner they are.
They will load me Math execrations, supposing
me to be the author of all their hardships, and
perhaps may wish to put an end f o me/* I ob-
served, that no English soldier would become
an assassin. He interrupted me, by saying, ^^ I
have no reason to complain of the English sol-
diers or sailors ; on the contrary, they treat me
with every respect, and even appear to feel for
me."
He then spoke of some English officers.
"Moore,** said he, "was a brave soldier, an ex-
cellent officer, and a man of talent. He made a
few mistakes, which were probably inseparable
from the difficulties with which he was surround-
ed, and caused perhaps by his information having
misled him,** This eulogiura he repeated more
than once ; and observed, that be had commanded
the reserve in Egypt, where he had behaved
very well, and displayed talent. I remarked,
that Moore was always in front of the battle, and
was generally unfortunate enough to be wounded.
^ Ah !** said he, " It is necessary sometimes. He
56 ▲ TOIOB FROM n. HBLINA.
died gkHionsly — he died like a soldier. Menou
was a maa of courage, but no soldier. You ought
not to have taken Egypt. If Kleber had lived,
you would never have conquered it. An army
without artillery or cavalry. The Turks signified
nothing. Kleber was an irreparable loss to France
and to me. He was a man of the brightest talents
and the greatest bravery. I have composed the
history of my own campaigns in Egypt, and of
yours, while I was at the Briars. But I want the
Moniteurs for the dates."
The conversation then turned upon French
naval officers. " Villeneuve,'* said he, " when
taken prisoner and brought to England, was so
much grieved at his defeat, that he studied ana-
tomy that he might destroy himself. For this
purpose he bought some anatomical plates of
the heart, and compared them with his own
body, in order to ascertain the exact situation of
that organ. On his arrival in France, I ordered
that he should remain at Rennes, and not pro-
ceed to Paris. Villeneuve afraid of being tried
by a court martial for disobedience of orders and
consequently losing the fleet, for I had ordered
him not to sml, or to engage the English, deter-
mined to destroy himself, and accordingly took
his plates of the heart, and compared them with
his breast. Exactly in the centre of the plate,
be made a mark with a large pin, then fixed
A'TOIOB FBOM 8T. HBLSNA. 57
the pin as near as lie conld judge inihe same spot
in bis own breast, shoved it in to the head^ pe-
netrated his heart, and expired. When the room
was opened, he was foiind dead ; the pin in his
breast,. and a mark in the plate corresponding with
the wound in his breast. He need not have done
it,** continued he, ^^as he was a brave man, though
possessed of no talent.**
^ fiarr^,** said be, ^^ whom you took in the Rivoli,
was a very brave and good officer. When I went
to Egypt I gave directions, after I had disembarked
and had taken Alexandria in a few hours, to sound
for a passage for the fleet. A Venetian sixty-four
(and a fifty-igun ship I think he said) got in^ which I
suppose you have seen there, but it was reported
that the large ships of the line could not. I ordered
Barr6 to sound. He reported to me that there was
a sufficiency of water in one part of the channel.
Bnieys, on the contrary, said there was not enough
of water for the eighty-gun ships. Barr6 insisted
that there was. In the mean time I had advanced
into the country after the Mamelukes. All com*
munication with the army from the town by mes-
sengers, was cut off by the Bedouins, who took,
or killed them all. My orders did not arrive^ or
I would have obliged Brueys to enter; for you
must know that I had the command of the fleet
as well as of the army. In the mean time, Nelson
came and destroyed Brueys and his fleet. By
VOL. T. I
58 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
what I have learned from you^ I see that Barr^ was
right, as you saw the Tigre and Canopus enter.**
After this, he made some observations upon the
island. " Such," said he, *^ is the deplorable state
of this rock, that the absence of actual want or
starvation is considered as a great blessing. Point-
kowski went down to Robinson's, the other" day,
where they said to him, * Oh, how happy you must
be to have fresh meat every day to dinner. Oh, if
we could enjoy that, how happy should we be."
Is this a place," continued he, " fit for any person
who has been accustomed to live amongst human
beings ?"
28th. — ^Napoleon asked me if I had not had a
very large party to dinner yesterday. I replied,
*^ a few." ** How many of you were drunk ?" I said,
• none." ** Bah, bah ; what, none ? Why they
could not have done any honour to your enter
tainment. Was not Captain Ross a little gay?*
I replied, " Captain Ross is always gay." He
laughed at this, and said, " Ross is a very fine fel-
low (un bravissimo turnioj, and the ship's company
are very happy in having such a captain. I saw,"
said he, " that poor clergyman, Jones.* They
have used that poor man most cruelly in depriving
him of his employment. For the sake of his fa-
mily, if not for himself, they ought not to have
* Mr. Jonei had been a tutor to Mr. Balcombe's childrtn doriog
Napoieon'a reddenoe at the Briars.
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 69
superseded him. He is a good man^ is he not r
I replied, that he was a man of good heart, but
that he was accused of being too fond of meddling
with what did not concern him.
I told him, that news had arrived that the Queen
of Portugal was dead, and also, that a French fri-
gate had arrived at Rio Janeiro to demand one of
the king's daughters in marriage for the Due de
Berri. " The queen," said he, ** has been mad for
a long time, and the daughters are all ugly."
29th. — ^A ship arrived from England ; went to
town ; saw the governor, and on my return went
to Napoleon, who was playing at nine pins with
his generals in his garden. I told him (by desire
of the governor) that a bill concerning him had
been brought into parliament, to enable ministers
to detain him in St. Helena, and to provide the ne-
cessary sums of money for his maintenance. He
asked if it had met with opposition ? I replied,
" scarcely any." ** Brougham or Burdett," said
he, " did they make any ?" I replied, '* I have not
seen the papers, but I believe that Mr. Brougham
said something.** Gave him some French news-
papers, which the admiral had given me before he
had read them himself. "Who gave you those
papers ?" " The admiral." " What, for me ?"
(with some surprise). " He told me to give them
to Bertrand, but in reality they were intended for
you.** After some conversation, he desired me to
60' A' VOICB FROM 8T. HRbENA^
endeavonr to procure the Morning Chi*onicle, tlie
Globe, or any of the oppo^tion or neutml pa^
pers.
June 1th. — ^Breakfasted with Napoleon in the
garden. Had a long medical argument with him,
in which he maintained, that his pi*actice in case
of malady, viz. to eat nothing, drink plenty of
barley-water and no wine, and ride for seven or
eight leagues to promote perspiration, was much
better than mine.
Some conversation took place about the mode
of solemnizing marriage, in which I said, that in
England, when a protestant and catholic were
married, it was necessary that the ceremony
should be performed, first by a protestant cler-
gyman, and afterwards by a Roman Catholic
priest. '* That is wrong,** said he ^ marriage
ought to be a civil contract ; and on the parties
going before a magistrate in the presence of wit-
nesses, and entering into an engagement, they
should be considered as man and wife. This is
what I caused to be done in France. If they
wished it, they might go to the church after-
wards and get a priest to repeat the ceremony ;
but this ought not to be considered as indispens-
able. It was always my maxim that those reli-
gious ceremonies should never be above the laws,
take the lead or upper band {prendre lessor). I also
tordained, that Marriages, contracted by French aub*
Ar YOICB FROM ST. IfELKVA, ^h
)ect8 in foreign countries when performed accord-
ing to the laws of those countries^ should be valid
OQihe return of the parties to France."
' 15/A.— ^Napoleon at breakfast in bis bath> a little
sliding table was put over the bath^ up<m which tlie
dishes were placed. I told him that Warden had
found! a book beloxi^g to him^ which was sup*
posed: to have been lost on board of the Northum-
berland. '* Ah I Warden, that worthy fellow (ce
Ifrave /tomme), how is he ? Why does he not come
wdsQe me-r-I shall be glad to see him ? How is
the chief of the medical staflf {mddecin en chef?^ I
saidihat he would fee) highly honoured by being-
presented to him, if he would consent to see him
as ft private person, and not as a physician. ^^ As
you say that he is a worthy man (tm galantuomo)^ I
shall see him ; you may introduce him to me in the
garden any day you like. Have you seen Miledi
Lowe ; I have been told that she is a gi*acefiil and
a fine woman."* I replied, that I had heard so, and
also that she was very lively. *^ It is a pity," said
he, " that she cannot bestow a portion of her wit
and grace upon her husband : as, for a public cha-
racter, I never saw a man so deficient in both.** He
asked me a number of questions about London, of
which I had lent him a history, which had been
made a present to me by Captain Ross. He ap-
peared to be well acquainted with the contents of
the bo<^ though he had not had it in his posses-
62 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
sion many days ; described the plates, and tried to
repeat several of the cries, — said that if he had been
king of England he would have made a grand
street on each side of the Thames, and another
from St. Paul's to the river. The conversation af-
terwurds turned upon the manner of living in
France and England. ** Which eats the most,"
said he, " the Frenchman or the Englishman ?" I
said, " I think the Frenchman.** *^ I don't believe
it,** said Napoleon. I replied, that the French,
though they nominally make but two meals a day,
really have four. " Only two," said he. I replied,
*' they take something at nine in the morning, at
eleven, at four, and at seven or eight in the even-
ing.'* " I,** said he, *' never eat more than twice
daily. You English always eat four or five times
a day. Your cookery is more healthy than ours.
Your soup is, however, very bad : nothing but
bread, pepper, and water. You drink an enormous
quantity of Mdne.** I said, not so much as is sup-
posed by the French. " Why,** replied he, '* Point-
kowski, who dines sometimes in camp with the
officers of the 53rd, says that they drink by the
hour ; that after the cloth is removed, they pay so
much an hour and drink as much as they Uke,
which sometimes lasts until four o'clock in the
morning.** I said, "So far from the truth, is it,
that some of the officers do not drink wine more
than twice a week, and that on days in which
A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA. 63
strangers are permitted to be invited. There is a
third of a bottle put on for each member who drinks
wine^ and when that is exhausted, another third is
put on^ and so on. Members only pay in propor-
tion to what they drink.** He appeared surprised
with this explanation, and observed how easily
a stranger, having only an imperfect knowledge
of the language, was led to give a wrong inter-
pretation to the customs and actions of other nsr
tions.
17 th. — Told Napoleon that the Newcastle fri-
gate was in sight, with the new admiral. He de*
sired me to fetch my glass, and point her out to
him. Found him on my return on his way to the
stables. Pointed out the vessel beating up to
windward. Shortly afterwards. Warden came up,
and Napoleon invited me to breakfast with him,
and to bring Warden and Lieutenant Blood with
me. At breakfast, some conversation took place
about the Abb^ de Pradt, &c. ; and about some of
the absurd falsehoods detailed in the Quarterly
Review, respecting his conduct while at the Briars,
were repeated to him. — ^** That will amuse the pub-
lic, — (Cela amusera le public^'' replied Napoleon.
Warden observed that all Europe was very anxious
to know his opinion of Lord Wellington as a gene-
ral. To this he made no reply, and the question
was not repeated.
Three commissioners arrived in the Newcastle :
^ A- ¥OI€B FROM ST* HBLSNA.
Count Balmaine for Russia; Baron Sturmer for
Austria, accompanied by the Baroness^ his wif^;
: Marquis Montchenu for France ; with Captain
Gor^ his aid-de-camp. An Austrian botanist also
accompanied Baron Sturmer.
I8th. — ^Told Napoleon that I had been to town,
and that the commissioners for Russia, France,
and Austria had arrived. "Have you seen any
of them ?" " Yes, I saw the French commis-
sioner." ** What sort of a man is he Y" *^ He is
an old emigrant, named the Marquis of Mont-
chenu, extremely fond of talking; but his looks
are not against him. ^Vhile I was standing in a
group of officers on the terrace opposite the ad-
miral*s house, he came out, and addressing him-
, self to me, said in French, * if you or any of you
speak French, for the love of God make it known
to me, for I do not speak a word of English. I
.have arrived here to finish my days amongst those
rocks (pointing to Ladder Hill), and I cannot
speak a word of the language.* " Napoleon laugh*
ed very heartily at this, and repeated, '^chatter-
box, fool, {bavard^ imbecille^y several times.
/VWhat folly it is," said he, "to send those commis-
sioners out here. Without charge or respond-
bUity, they will have nothing to do but to
walk about the streets and creep up the
rocks. The Prussian government has display-
ed more judgment and saved its money,** I
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. '65
fold him that Drouot had been acquitted^ which
pleased him much. Of Drouots talents and vir-
tues he spoke in the highest terms^ and obseryed^
that by the laws of France he could not be pu-
nished for his conduct.
20M. — Rear-admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm^
Captain Meynel (the flag->captain), and some other
naval officers^ were presented to Napoleon.
21 St. — Saw Napoleon walking in the garden,
and went down towards him with a book that I
had procured for him. After he had made some
inquiries about the health of Mrs. Kerie, a re-
spectable old lady whom I visited, he smd that
he had seen the new admiral. '^Ah, there is a
man with a countenance really pleasing, open, in-
telligent, frank, and sincere. There is the face of
an Englishman. His countenance bespeaks his
heart, and I am sure he is a good man : I never
yet beheld a man of whom I so immediately formed
a good opinion as of that j5ne soldier-like old man.
He carries his head erect, and speaks out openly
and boldly what he thinks, without being afraid
to look you in the face at the time. His phy-
siognomy would make every person desirous of a
further acquaintance, and render the most suspi-
cious confident in him."
Some conversation now passed relative to the
protest which had been made by Lord Holland
VOL. I. K
66 A VOICB FROM 6T. HELENA.
against the bill for his detention.* Napoleon ex*
pressed that opinion of Lord Holland, to which
his talents and virtues so fully entitle him. He
was highly pleased to find that the Duke of Sussex
had joined his lordship in the protest, and ob-
served, that when passions were calmed the con-
duct of those two peers would be handed down
to posterity with as much honour, as that of the
proposers of the measure would be loaded with
ignominy. He asked several questions concern-
ing the reduction of the English army, and ob-
served, that it was absurd in the English govern-
ment to endeavour to establish the nation as a
great military power, without having a population
• PROTEST
To th€ second Reading of Bonapart§*i DtUntion BUi
Because, without reference to the character or previous conduct
of the person who is the object of the present bill, I disapprove of
the measure it sanctions and continues.
To consign to distant exile and imprisonment a foreign and captive
chief, who, after the abdication of his authority, relying on British
generosity, had surrendered himself to us in preference to his other
enemies, is unworthy of the magnanimity of a great country; and
the treaties by which, after his captivity, we have bound ourselves to
detain him in custody, at the will of sovereigns, to whom he had
never surrendered himself, appear to me repugnant to the prindplet
of equity, and utterly uncalled for, by expedience or necessity.
(Signed) VASSALL HOLLAND.
And on the third reading. His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex
entered his protest for the same reasons.
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENiU 67
sufficiently numerous to afford the requisite num«
ber of soldiers to enable them to vie with the great,
or even the second-rate continental powers, while
they neglected and seemed to undervalue the navy,
which was the real force and bulwark of England.
^ They will yet," said he, " discover their error."
23rd. — Several cases of books which had been
ordered by Bertrand at Madeira, and were brought
out in the Newcastle by Sir Pulteney Malcolm,
were sent up to him the day before. Found him
in his bed-chamber, surrounded Math heaps of
books : his countenance was smiling, and he was
in perfect good humour. He had been occupied
in reading nearly all the night. ^^ Ah," said he,
pointing to some books that he had thrown on the
floor, according to his custom, after having read
them, ^'what a pleasure I have enjoyed. What a
difference. I can read forty pages of French in
the time that it would require me to comprehend
two of English." I found afterwards that his anx-
iety to see them was so great, that he had labour-
ed hard himself, with a hammer and chisel, in
opening the cases which contained them.
24th. — Saw Napoleon in the garden. Told him
that Sir Thomas Reade had sent up seven cases
of books to me for him, and that the governor had
sent me two guns on the percussion principle for
his use, and had desired me to explain the manner
in which they were constructed. ** It is useless,"
68 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
replied he, to send me guns, when I am confined
to a place where there is no game.* I told him
that Mr. Baxter had come np to have the honour
of being introduced to him. He desired me to
call him. On being presented, he said, smiling,
^* Well, Mr. Physician {signor medico), how many
patients have you kilted in your time ?" Afterwards
he conversed with him for nearly an hour, on va-
rious subjects.
Sir Hudson Lowe told me that *' he was so far
from wishing to prevent any letters or complaints
being sent to Europe, that he had offered to Bo
naparte to forward any letters or statements he
wished to England, and not only would he do so,
but he would have them printed in the newspa-
pers, in French and English."
28M. — ^A proclamation issued by Sir Hudson
Lowe, declaring that any person holding any
correspondence or communication with Napoleon
Bonaparte, his followers or attendants, receiving
from or delivering to hira or them letters or com-
munications, without express authorization from
the governor, under his hand, was guilty of an
infraction of the acts of parliament for his safe
custody, and would be prosecuted with all the
rigour of the law. Also, that any person or per-
sons who received any letters or communications
from him, his followers, or attendants, and did
not immediately deliver or make known the same
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA^ 09
to the governor, or, who should famish the
Napoleon Bonaparte, his followers or attendants,
with money, or any other means whatever, wherdby
his escape might be furthered, would be consider--
ed to be aiding and assisting in the same, and would
be proceeded against accordingly.
July \st. — ^A letter sent by Sir Hudson Lowe
to Count Bertrand, prohibiting all sort of commu-
nications, either written or verbal, with the inha-
bitants, except such as shall have been previously
made known to him (the governor) through the
orderly oflScer.
Since the arrival of the books, the emperor has
been daily occupied for several hours in reading
and collecting dates and other materials for the
history of his life, which is written up to his land-
ing in France from Egypt. The state of the wea-
ther also, the almost constant rain or fog, with the
strong wind continually blowing over the bleak
and exposed situation of Longwood, has contri-
buted much to keep him within doors, and disgust
him with his present residence. He expressed
a wish to be removed to the leeward side of the
island, which is warmer, and protected from the
eternal sharp south-east wind.
Ath. — Sir Pulteney and Lady Malcolm had an
interview of nearly two hours with Napoleon, who
was much pleased with both. During the con-
v^n^ition he entered deeply into a description of
70 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
the battle of Waterloo, naval tactics, &c. The of-
ficers of the Newcastle were also presented to him.
The n>eat, which has generally been of a bad
quality, is to-day so detestable, that Captain Pop-
pleton felt himself obliged to send it back, and
write a complaint to the governor.
6th. — ^Madame Bertrand informed Captain Pop-
pleton and myself, that she had written a letter to
Montchenu, in which she requested of him to call
and see her at Hut's Gate, as she had heard that
he had seen her mother, who was in an indifferent
state of health, and was very desirous to inquire
about her. That Las Cases would also come and
meet him on his arrival at her house, as he was in-
formed that Montchenu had seen his wife a short
time before his departure from Paris.
8th. — ^The servants from Longwood, bringing
the provisions to Bertrand's stopped by the sen-
tinels, and not allowed to enter the court. The
viands were, at last, handed over the wall, in pre-
sence of a sentinel, who said, he could not permit
any conversation to take place. A similar scene
took place, when my servant brought some medi-
cines for Bertrand*s servant, Bernard, who was
dangerously ill. Round one of the bottles there
was a label in my hand-writing, containing direct
tions how to take the medicine. This was written
in French, and the sentinel not being able to un-
derstand it) thought it his duty not to suffer it to
A VOICB FROM 8T. HKLBNA. 71
enter, and it was accordingly torn off. A sentinel
was relieved the day before and sent to camp to
be tried by a court-martial, for having allowed a
black to go into Bertrand's court to get a drink of
water, which probably has given rise to this iur-
creased rigour on the part of the soldiers.
9th. — ^A letter of expostulation sent this morn-
ing to Sir Hudson Lowe. Some conversation at
Longwood relative to a machine for making ice,
said by some of the officers of the Newcastle to
have been sent by Lady Holland for Napoleon*8
use, but which has not yet made its appearance.
KXA/— A great deficiency has existed for seve-
ral days in the quantity of mne, fowls, and other
necessary articles. Wrote to Sir Thomas Reade
about it. Captain Poppleton also went to town
himself to lay the matter before Sir Hudson Lowe.
11 th. — ^While at Hut's Gate, a Serjeant came in
with a message from Sir Hudson Lowe, desiring
me to follow him. His excellency inquired of
me in what part of the island General Bonaparte
would wish to have his new house built ? I re-
plied, " He would like the Briars." Sir Hudson
said, that would never do, that it was too near
the town, and in fact out of the question. He
then asked me if I thought he would prefer any
part of the island to Longwood ? I said, ^ most
certainly he would prefer a habitation on the
other side of the island." His excellency then
72 A VOICR FROM ST. HELENA.
desired me to find out from himself what part of
the island he would prefer. He also said, that
Napoleon had refused to see the commissioners,
and desired me to ascertain whether he was still
of that opinion. His excellency asked me whe-
ther I knew what they wanted with the Marquis
Montchenu. I replied, that Madame Bertrand
wished to inquire after her mother's health, and
that Las Cases was to have met him at Hut*s
Gate ; and that I was informed he was very anx-
ious to enquire ahout his wife, as he had been told
that Montchenu had seen her shortly before his
departure from Paris. Sir Hudson observed that
he would report Las Cases to the British govern-
ment, for having contemptuously refused to receife
or accept some articles sent for the supply of the
generals and others with Bonaparte, while at the
same time he wrote a letter to Lady Clavering,
desiring that some articles of a similar nature to
those so offered might be purchased and sent out
to him. He then again assured me of his readi-
ness, not only to transmit their complaints to his
majesty's government, but that he would also
cause them to be published ; and told me that he
much wished me to let him know General Bona-
parte's wants and wishes, in order that he might
communicate them to his government, which
would thus know how to anticipate and provide
for any demands. Desired me also to tell Ma*
▲ VOICB FROM nr BBLBNA. 7S
dame Bertrand that he was very sorry any restric-
tions which he had imposed were disagreeable to
her or hnrtfnl to her feelings, though it appeared
to him that she had been made a tool of, which he
advised her not to try again. After this, he went
to Longwood, where he had a long conversation
with General Montholon, chiefly about altering,
enlar^g, and improving Longwood House.
12th. — Napoleon rather melancholy. I in-
formed him that the governor had been at Long-
'wood yesterday, in order to see if he could afford
greater comfort and accommodation to him, either
by building some additional rooms to the house
already existing at Longwood, or erecting a new
house in some other pait of the island ; and that
the governor had charged me to inquire from him.
which he would prefer. He replied, " At this
house, or in this wretched place, I wish for nothing
from him {A questa casa, o in questo luogo tristo
rum voglio niente di lui)^ I hate this Longwood.
The sight of it makes me melancholy. Let him
put me in some place where there is shade, verdure,
and water. Here it either blows a furious wind,
loaded with rain and fog, which afflicts my soul,
or, which oppresses me {che mi taglia Vanima) ; o\\
if that is wanting, the sun broils my brain {il sole
mi hrucia il cervello), through the want of shade«
when I go out. Let him put me on the Plantation
House side of the island, if he really wishes to Ua
VOL. I. L
74 A' TOICB FROM ST. HRLBNA.
any thing for me. Bat what is the nse of hisr
coming up here proposing things, and doing no-
thing. There is Bertrand*s house not the least ad*
vanced since his arrival. The admiral at least sent
his carpenter here, who made the work go on.** I
replied, that the governor had desired me to say,
that he did not like to undertake any thing with-
out first knowing that it would meet with his ap-
pvoval ; but, that if he (Napoleon) would fix, or
propose a plan for the house, he would order every
workman on the island, with a proportionate num-
ber of engineer officers, &c. to proceed to Long-
wood, and set about it. That the governor feared,
that making additions to the present building
would annoy him by the noise of the workmen.
He replied, " Certainly it would. I do not wish
him to do any thing to this house, or on this dis-
mal place. Let him build a house on the other
side of the island, where there is shade, verdure,
and water, and where I may be sheltered from this
furious wind (vento agro). If it is determined to
build a new house for my use, I would wish to
have it erected on the Elstate of Colonel Smith,
which Bertrand has been to look at, or at Rose-
mary Hall. But his proposals are all a delusion.
Nothing advances since he came. Look there,**
pointing to the window. " I was obliged to or*
der a pair of sheets to be put up as curtains, as
the others were so dirty I could not approach
thenii and none could be obtained to replace them.
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA. 75^
H6 If It sad fellow, and worse than the island
f Stut trist voma^ d peggio delF isolaj. Remark
his <*ondact to that poor lady (quella povera dama),
Madame Bertrand. He has deprived her of the
Kttle liberty she had, and has prevented people
firom coming to visit and to chat (bavarder) for an
hour with her, which was some little solace to a
lady who had always been accustomed to see com*
pany.** I observed that the governor had said, it
was in consequence of Madame Bertrand's having
sent a note to the Marquis Montchenu, without
ha?ving first caused it to pass through the govemor*s
hands. ^ Trash,** replied he ; ** By the regulations
in existaice when he arrived, it was permitted to
send notes to residents, and no communication of
aof; alteration having taken place was made to
them. Besides, could not she and her husband
have gone to town to see Montchenu ? Weak men
are always timorous and suspicious. This man is
fit to be, the head of a police-gang {un capo di sbir^
ri), but not a governor.'*
13th. — ^Went to town and communicated Na-
poleon's reply to Sir Hudson Lowe, who did not
seem to like it ; and said that he could not so
easily be watched. I observed that I thought,
easier, as he would then be in the midst of his
(Sir Hudson's) staff ; and moreover, as the spots
: in question we4^ nearly surrounded with high and
ttoequal rocks, it would be extremely easy to
-place picquets in such a manner as to preclude
76 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
the possibility of escape, and at the same time^ be
unseen by the captive. His excellency at first
assented to this ; but a moment afterwards ob-
served, that he should not know where to place
the Austrian commissioner, who had taken Rose^
mary Hall. I ventured to suggest to him, that,
however desirable an object the accommodation
of the Baron Sturmer might be, still it was one of
much minor importance to that of the principal
person detained {ddtenu). Sir Hudson Lowe, after
a moment's silence, asked me if I had communicated
his message to Madame Bertrand, to which I re*
plied in the alSirmative. He observed, that he had
not sufficiently explained his motives in imposing
some additional restrictions, as the fact was, that
Sir George Cockburn, prior to his departure, had
pointed out to him the great inconveniency of the
existing order of things, and the necessity there was
of preventing such free access to Bertrand*s House.
That he had strongly recommended the adoption of
the restrictions which he (Sir Hudson) had since
thought it his duty to impose, which the admiral
declared it was his own intention to have order-
ed, had he not been in daily expectation of the
new governor s arrival. That the liberal access
to Bertrand had been originally permitted in con-
sequence of a supposition, that the new house for
his use at Longwood would soon be finished ;
after which he would be placed on a similar foot-
ing with the other attendants of General Bonfb-
A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA. 77
]>arte. This he desired me to communicate to the
countess ; and said that he would consider about
buOding the new house upon the spot which I had
pointed out; adding, that ^^ Colonel Smith's and
Rosemary Hall must go together.**
\5th. — Napoleon out very early in the carriage.
16M. — ^Napoleon, who had gone down to the
stables at an early hour, and ordered the horses to
be put to, himself, overtook me in the park, and
made me get into the carriage. Complained of his
teeth. Breakfasted with him. During the meal, the
subject of the commissioners was introduced. He
asked, if Madame Sturmer had ever seen him at
P^ris. I replied, that she had, and was very
desirous to see him again. ** And who prevents
her?** said he. I replied, that herself and her
husband, as well as the rest of the commissioners,
believe that you will not receive them. "Who
told them so?** said he, "I am willing to receive
them, whenever they please to ask through Ber-
trand. I shall receive them as private characters.
I never refuse to see any person, when asked in a
proper way, and especially, I should be always
glad to see a lady.**
^ It appears,** said he, " that your ministers
have sent out a great many articles of dress for
us, and other things, which it was supposed might
be wanted. Now, if this governor was possessed
of the feelings of a gentleman, he would have sent
a list of them to Bertrand, stating that the £ng*
78 A VOICB FROM 8T. HBLBNA^
lish government had sent a supply of certidn arti-?
cles which it was thought we might want, and
that if we stood in need of them, we might order
such as we pleased. But, instead of acting in a
manner pointed out by the rules of politeness, this
gaoler (geolier) converts into an insult, what, pro-
bably your government intended as a civility, by
selecting what things he himself pleases, and send-
ing them up in a contemptuous manner, without
consulting us ; as if he were sending alms to a set
of beggars, or clothing to convicts. Truly he has
the heart of an executioner {Feramente ha il cuore
di boja), for nobody but an executioner (boja) would
unnecessarily increase the miseries of people situated
like us, already too unhappy. His hands soil every
thing that passes through them. See how he tor^
ments that poor lady, Madame Bertrand, by depri*
ving her of the little society she was accustomed to,
and which is necessary to her existence. It is not
punishing her husband, who, if he has a book i^
contented. I am astonished that he allows you or
Poppleton to remain near me. He would willingly
watch me himself always, were it in his power. Have
you any galley-slaves in England ?" I replied. No ;
but that we had some convicts who were condemned
to work at Portsmouth and elsewhere. *^ Then,**
said he, ^' he ought to have been made keeper of
them. It would be exactly the office suited to him.*
Sir Hudson Lowe came up to Longwood, and
had an interview with him for a short time.
17M.-T-Napoleon called me into the garden to
iimi« informed me that he had told the governor
that he had nnnecessarily increased their restric-
tions ; that he had^ without any reason, punished
-Madame fiertrand ; that he had insulted them by
Mb manner of sending up the articles isent for their
use ; that he had insulted X^as Cases, by telling
him that he had read his letters, and by informing
•him, that if he wanted a pair of shoes or stock-
ings, he must first send to him. ^^I told him,"
added he, ^ that if Bertrand or Las Cases wanted
to form a plot with the commissioners, (which he
appeared to be afraid of,) that he had nothing
more to do^ than to go to the town and make an
appointment with any of them to come up inside
of the alarm-house, and meet him. I told him
that it was a disgrace to him who was vested
with authority, to insult a man like fiertrand, who
was esteemed by all Europe."
He then spoke about the new house, said,
that if he expected to remain long in St. Helena,
he should wish to have it erected at the Planta-
tion House side ; ** but," continued he, ^^ I am of
opinion that as soon as the affairs of France are
settled, and things quiet, the English government
will allow me to return to Europe, and finish
my days in England. I do not believe that they
are foolish enough to be at the expense of eight
millions annually, to keep me here, when I am no
longer to be feared ; I therefore am not very anx-
80 A VOICB FROM 8T, HBLBNA.
ions about the house.** He then spoke about es-
cape^ and said, that even if he were inclined to try
it, there were ninety-eight chances out of a hundred
against his succeeding ; " notwithstanding which,"
continued he, " this gaoler imposes as many re-
strictions, as if I had nothing more to do than
to step into a boat and be off. It is true, that
while one lives there is always a chance, although
chained, enclosed in a cell, and every human pre-
caution taken, there is still a chance of escape
and the only effectual way to prevent it is to put
me to death. It is only the dead, who never come
back (// riy a que les morts qui ne reviennent pas).
Then all uneasiness on the part of the European
powers, and Lord Castlereagh, will cease : no more
expense, no more squadrons to watch me, or poor
soldiers fatigued to death with picquets and guards^
or harassed carrying loads up those rocks.**
I8th. — Sir Hudson came to Longwood, and
arranged some matters with General Montholon
relative to the house. Every thing connected with
the alterations in the building put under the direc-
tion of Lieutenant-colonel Wynyard, assisted by
Lieutenant Jackson of the staff corps. A billiard-
table brought up to Longwood.
1 9th. — ^The drawing-room of Longwood House
discovered to be on fire at about five o'clock in the
morning. It was extinguished in about half an
hour, by great exertions on the part of Captain
-^
JL VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 81
Poppleton^ and the guard, aided by the household.
It had reached within a few inches of the upper
flooring, which was formed of a double boarding.
Had this caught fire, it would have been nearly
impossible to have saved the building, as there is
no water at Liongwood.
20tlu — Some curtains for the emperor's bed, sent
up to me by Sir Thomas Reade.
22nd, — ^Dined in camp on occasion of the anni-
versary of the battle of Salamanca. Present, his
excellency and staff, heads of departments, &c.
24th. — The admiral sent up a lieutenant and
party of seamen to pitch a tent, formed of a lower
studding-sail, as no shade was afforded by the
trees at Liongwood. Colonel Maunsell, of the 53rd,
asked me to exert myself in order to procure,
through Count Bertrand, for Dr. Ward (who had
been eighteen years in India) an interview with
Napoleon. Count Bertrand accordingly made the
application to the emperor, who replied, that *^ Dr.
Ward must apply in person to Count Bertrand.**
25th. — ^Told Napoleon that the Griffon had ar-
rived from England the night before, and had
brought the news of the condemnation of General
Bertrand to death, though absent. He appeared
for a moment lost in astonishment, and much con-
cerned; but recollecting himself, observed, that
by the laws of France, a man accused of a capital
offence might be tried, and condemned to deaths
VOL. I. M
82 A V01C£ FROM ST. HELENA.
by outlawry (par contumacej, but that they could
not act upon such a sentence ; that the mdividual
must be tried again, and be actually present ; that
if Bertrand were now in France, he would be ac-
quitted, as Drouot had been. He expressed, how-
ever, much sorrow at it, on account of the effect
which it might probably produce upon Madame
Bertrand. " In revolutions,** continued he, *^ every
thing is forgotten. The benefits you confer to day,
are forgotten to-morrow. The side once changed,
gratitude, friendship, parentage, every tie vanishes,
and all sought for is self-interest.'*
26th. — Saw Napoleon at his toilette. While
dressing, he is attended by Marchand, St. Denis,
and Novarre. One of the latter holds a looking-
glass before him, and the other the necessary im-
plements for shaving, while Marchand is in waiting
to hand his clothes, Cologne water (eau de Co-
lognej, &c. When he has gone over one side of
his face with the razor he asks St. Denis or No-
varre, " Is it done ?" and after receiving an answer,
commences on the other. After he has finished,
the glass is held before him to the light, and he
examines whether he has removed every portion of
his beard. If he perceives or feels that any re-
main^, he sometimes lays hold of one of them by
the ear, or gives him a gentle slap on the cheek,
in a good-humoured manner, crjring, " Ah, rogue
(coqmn)y why did you tell me it was done ?" This,
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 83
probably has given rise to the report of his having
been in the habit of beating and otherwise ill-
treating his domestics. He then washes with wa-
ter, in which some Cologne water {eau de Cologne)
has been mingled, a little of which he also sprin-
kles over his person, very carefully picks and cleans
his teeth, frequently has himself rubbed with a
flesh-brush, changes his linen and flannel waistcoat,
and dresses m white kerseymere (or brown nan-
keen) breeches, white waistcoat, silk stockings,
shoes and gold buckles, and a green single-breast-
ed coat with white buttons, black stock, with none
of the white-shirt collar appearing above it, and a
three-cornered small-cocked hat, with a little tri-
coloured cockade. When dressed, he always wears
the cordon and grand cross of the legion of honour.
When he has put on his coat, a little sprucely
(bonhonniire) , his snuff-box, and handkerchief
scented with Cologne water (eau de Cologne)^ are
handed to him by Marchand, and he leaves the
chamber.
Napoleon complained of a slight pain in his
right side. I advised him to get it well rubbed
with Cologne water /eaw de Cologne) and flannel,
and also suggested a dose of physic. At this last
he laughed, and gave me a friendly slap on the
cheek. He asked the causes of the liver complaint,
now very prevalent in the island. I enumerates I
several, and amongst others, drunkenness and hot
84 A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA.
climates. '^ If,"* said he^ '^ drunkenness be a caos^
I ought never to have it.**
27th4 — Colonel Keating, late governor of the
isle of Bourbon had an interview with Napoleon,
which lasted for nearly an hour.
28M. — ^Informed by Cipriani, that in the begin*
ning of 1815, he had been sent from Elba to Leg-
horn, to purchase 100,000 fmncs worth of furni-
ture for Napoleon's palace. During his stay, he
became very intimate with a person named * * *,
who had a * * * at Vienna, from whom a private
intimation was sent to him, that it was the deter-
mination of the congress of Vienna to send the
emperor to St. Helena, and even had sent him a
paper containing the substance of the agreement,
a copy of which he gave to Cipriani, who departed
instantly for Elba, to communicate the information
he had received to the emperor. This, with the
confirmation which he afterwards received from
M * * * A ♦ ♦ and M ♦ • ♦ at Vienna contributed
to determine Napoleon to attempt the recovery of
his throne.
Accompanied Napoleon in his evening-drive.
Informed him that Sir Thomas Reade had begged
me to acquaint him that the Russian commis-
sioner had taken no part in the oflSicial note ad-
dressed to the governor, and containing a request
to see him (Napoleon). He observed, that if they
wished to see him« they had taken very bad mea*
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 85
rares, as all the powers of Europe should not ior-
duce him to receive them as official characters.
They might break open the door, or level the house
down and find him. He then observed^ that a
book* relative to his last rei^ in France had been
lately sent out by the author; (an Englishman,) to
Sir Hudson Lowe, with a request that it should
be delivered to him. On the back was inscribed, in
letters of Gold, — to the Emperor Napoleon^ or, to
the Great Napoleon. ^' Now,** continued he, ^ this
galley-^lave (galeriano) would not allow the book
to be sent to me, because it had the ^ Emperor Na-
poleon* written upon it ; because he thought that
it would give me some pleasure to see that all men
were not like him, and that I was esteemed by some
of his nation. I could not have believed that a
man could be so base and so vile (Non credevo che
un uotno poteva essere basso e vile a tal segno) r
Since the arrival of Sir Hudson Lowe, there has
been a great alteration in the number of news-
papers sent to Longwood. Instead of receiving,
as heretofore, a regular series of some papers, as
well as many detached ones, only a few irregular
numbers of the times have arrived, and occasion^
ally a Courier. This has caused great anxiety at
Longwood to those who have relations in France,
and given much displeasure to Napoleon, to whom
* " Thfi laift rdgn of the Emperor Napoleon* bj Mr. Hob-
86 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
Sir George Cockbum frequently sent up papers,
before perusing them himself.
August 2nd. — ^Made a complaint to the purveyors
that no vegetables^ except potatoes^ had been sent
up for three days ; and requested, that if they were
not permitted to furnish any more, my letter might
be transmitted to Major Gorrequer.
3rd. — Received an answer from Mr. Fowler,
clerk to the purveyors, informing me that they had
been ordered to send no more vegetables, which,
they had been informed by Major G., were in fu-
ture to be furnished from the honorable company*8
garden.
Colonel Maunsell presented this day by Sir
George Bingham. Napoleon conversed for a short
time with the latter.
5th. — Sir Hudson Lowe came to Longwood,
and ciJling me aside in a mysterious manner,
asked if I thought that " General Bonaparte**
would take it well if he invited him to come to a
ball at Plantation house, on the Prince Regent^s
birth-day ? I replied, that under all circumstances,
I thought it most probable that he would look
upon it as an insult, especially if made to " General
Bonaparte.^ His excellency remarked, that he
would avoid that, by asking him in person. I
said, that I would recommend him to consult
Count Bertrand on the subject, which he said he
would do. He then referred to a prior convert
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 87
sation and informed me that he was of opinion
my salary ought to be augmented to 500/. per
annum, and that he would certainly write to Lord
Bathurst and recommend it. After this, he spoke
about Mr. Hobhouse^s book, observed, that he
could not send it to Longwood as it had not been
forwarded through the channel of the secretary of
state ; moreover that Lord Castlereagh was ex-
tremely ill spoken of, and that he had no idea of
allowing General Bonaparte to read a book in which
a British minister was treated in such a manner, or
even to know that a work containing such reflec-
tions could be published in England. I ventured
to observe to his excellency, that Napoleon was
very desirous to see the book, and that he could
not confer a much greater favour than to send it
up. Sir Hudson replied, that Mr. Hobhouse, in the
letter which accompanied it, had permitted him to
place it in his own library, if he did not think him-
self authorized to send it to its original destination.
6th. — ^Napoleon again entered on the subject of
the book, the detention of which by the governor he
declared to be illegal ; and that even if he were a
prisoner under sentence of death, the governors
conduct would not be justifiable in detaining a
printed and published book, in which there was
no secret correspondence or treason, because there
were some fooleries {betises) in it. By " fooleries
{bitisesy* he meant the inscription addressed to him.
A lieutenant, two midshipmen, and a party of
88 A VOICK FROM 8T. HBLBNA.
geamen employed in repairing the tent, which had
soflered materially in the late bad weather. Na-
poleon went up and conversed for a short time
with the midshipmen, one of whom by a strange
coincidence, happened to be the son of Mr. Drake,
notorious for his conduct at Munich.
10/A. — Sir Hudson Lowe came up, while Napo-
leon was at breakfast in the tent, in order to see
him, but did not succeed.
12th. — Grand field-day at camp, in honour of
the Prince Regent. Explained to him that in all
our colonies his royal highnesses birth-day was ce-
lebrated. " Ay, ay, (Gia, g^^^r said he, ^ natural-
ly (naturalmente) r Asked me if I were asked
to dine with the governor? I replied, no; but
that I was asked to the ball in the evening.
14M. — ^Napoleon went out to ride this morning
for the first time for eight weeks. Informed me
that he had so severe a headach, that he had de-
termined to try the eflFect of a little exercise. "But,**
continued he, " the limits are so circumscribed
that I cannot ride for more than an hour ; and in
order to do me any good, I should ride very hard
for three or four. Here has been," continued he,
^ that Sicilian thief-catcher (shirro Siciliano) . I
would have remained in the tent an hour longer if
I had not been informed of his arrival. My mind
recoils to see him (Mi ripugna tanima il vederlo).
He is perpetually unquiet, and appears always in
a passion with somebody, or uneasy as if some-
A VOICE FROM ST. HJSJUSNA* SO
thing tormented, his conscieoce^ and that he was
anxious to run away from himself "
^'A man to be well fitted for the situation of
governor of St, . Helena^** he observed, ^^ ought to
be a person of great politeness^ and at the same
time of great firmness— <me who could gloss over
a refusal^ and lessen the miseries of the persons de-
tained (detenus), instead of eternally putting them
in mind that they were considered as prisoners.
Instead of such a man, they had sent out tin ttomo
non canosciuto^ che nan a nun camandato, che non
ha nessun ardme, ni nstema^ che non sa farsi uhhU
dire^che lum ha ni maniera nd creanza — e che pare
che abhia sempre wsuto con del ladrir*
15<A.— ^Anniversary of Napoleon*s birth-day.
Breakfasted in the tent with the ladies and all bis
suite including Fiontkowski, and the children.
There was, however, no change of uniform or addi-
tional decorations. In the evening, the second
class of domestics, including the English, had a
grand supper, and a dance afterwards. To the as-
tonishment of the French, not an Englishman got
drunk.
16M. — Sir Hudson Lowe came up, and had a
long conversation with Gen. Montholon and my-
self, principally about the necessity of reducing the
* A man not known^ who has never bad command^ who has neither
regularity nor tjttem, who cannot make himself obeyed^ who has no
breeding nor civility-- and who seems to have always associated with
thieves.
VOL. I. N
• *^
■■«.
• I,
90 A VOICE FROM ST. HELBNA.
expenses of the establishment^ which, he observed,
was not conducted with a due regard to economy.
Amongst other examples of what he considered
wasteful expenditure, he stated to General Mon*
tholon, that he had observed on looking over the
accounts of Plantation House and Longwood,
that there was a much greater quantity of basket-
salt consumed at the latter than at the former ; he
desired, therefore, that in future, common salt (sel^
gris) should be used as much as possible in the
kitchen and at the table of the servants.
One of Leslie*s pneumatic machines for making
ice sent up to Longwood this day. As soon as it
was put up, I went and informed Napoleon, and
told him that the admiral was at Longwood. He
asked several questions about the process, and it
was evident that he was perfectly acquainted with
the principles upon which air-pumps are formed.
He expressed great admiration of the science of
chemistry, spoke of the great improvements which
had of late years been made in it, and observed,
that he had always promoted and encouraged it
to the best of his power. I then left him, and pro-
ceeded to the room where the machine was, in
order to commence the experiment in the presence
of the admiral. In a few minutes Napoleon, ac-
companied by Count Montholon, came in and ac-
costed the admiral in a very pleasant manner,
seemingly gratified to see him. A cup full of
water was then frozen in his presence in about
I
A TOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 91
fiftem minutes, and he waited for upwards of half
an hour to see if the same quantity of lemonade
would freeze, which did not succeed. Milk was
then tried, but it would not answer. Napoleon
took into his hand the piece of ice produced from
the water, and observed to me, what a gratifica-
ticm that would have been in Egypt. The first
ice ever seen in St. Helena, was made by this ma-
chine^ and was viewed with no small degree of
surprise by the yam stochsy* some of whom could
with difficulty be persuaded that the solid lump
in thdr hands was really composed of water, and
were not fully convinced until they had witnessed
its liqueSsu^ion.
nth. — Went to Hufs Gate to visit Bertrand*s
servant Bernard, who was very ill. The Serjeant
of the guard ordered the sentry to be confin^ for
letting me in. Went out to inquire, and was in-
formed by the seijeant that he had orders to pre*
vent every one from going in, except the general
staff. Sir Hudson Lowe had, it appeared, given
some directions yesterday himself, on going out of
Bertrand*s, to whom he showed a letter from Lord
Bathurst, stating that the expences of the esta-
blishment must be reduced to 8,000/. per annum
for every thing. The men who brought the pro-
visions were not allowed to enter but were ob-
liged to hand them over the wall. The servants
from Longwood were also refused admittance,
* A cant name for the natives of the island.
93 A VOICB FROM ST. HELBNA,
Mr. Brookes, the colonial secretary, was also dcK
nied entrance, A letter sent by Sir Hudson Lowe
to Count Montholon, making a demand of 12,000i;
a year for the maintenance of Napoleon and suite.*
I8th. — The governor and admiral, accompanied
by Sir Thomas Reade and Major Gorrequer, ar-
rived at Longwood, while Napoleon was walking
in the garden with Counts Bertrand, Montholon^
Las Cases, and son. His excellency sent to ask
an interview, which was granted. It took place
in the garden. The three principal pe'^onages^
Napoleon, Sir Hudson, and Sir Pulteney, were a
little in front of the others. Captain Poppleton
and myself stood at some distance from them,
but sufficiently near to observe their gestures.
We remarked, that the conversation was princi*
pally on the part of Napoleon, who appeared at
times considerably animated, frequently stopping
and again hurried in his walk, and accompanying
his words with a good deal of action. Sir Hud«
6on*s manner also appeared hurried and greatly
agitated. The admiral was the only one who
seemed to discourse with calmness. In about half
an hour we saw Sir Hudson Lowe abruptly turn
about, and withdraw without saluting Napoleon.
The admiral took oflf his hat, made his bow, and
departed. Sir Hudson Lowe came up to where
Poppleton and myself were standing, paced up
* See AppflndlZf No. III.
▲ VOICE FROM ST. HELENA 93
and down in an agitated manner, while his horses
were'coming, and said to me, " General Bonaparte
has been very abnsive to me. I parted with him
rather abraptly, and told him, You are uncivil.
Sir (f^ous ites malhonnStey Monsieur)/* He then
mounted his horse, and galloped away. The ad-
miral appeared troubled and pensive. It was evi-
dent that the interview hud been very unpleasant.
19/A. — Saw Napoleon in his dressing-room.
He was in very good humours-asked how Gour-
gaud was, and on being informed that I had ^ven
him some medicine he laughed and said, '^ He
would have done better to have dieted himself for
some days; let him drink plenty of water, and
eat nothing. Medicines," he said, ** were only fit
for old people."
He then said, " that governor came here yes-
terday to annoy me. He saw me walking in the
garden, and in consequence I could not refuse to
see him. He wanted to enter into some details
vnth me about reducing the expenses of the esta-
blishment. He had the audacity to tell me that
things were as he found them, and that he came
up to justify himself : that he had come up two
or three times before to do so, but that I was in a
bath. I replied, * No, Sir, I was not in a bath,
but I ordered one on purpose not to see you. In
endeavouring to justify yourself you make matters
worse/ He said that I did not know him ; that if
94 A VOICB FROM 6T. HELENA.
I knew him, I should change my opinion. ^ Know
you, Sir,' I answered, ' How could I know you t
People make themselves known by their actions ;
by commanding in battles. You have never com-
manded in battle. You have never commanded
any but vagabond Corsican deserters, Piedmon-
tese and Neapolitan brigands. I know the name
of every English general who has distinguished
himself, but I never heard of you except as a
scrivano* to Blucher, or as a commandant of bri-
gands. You have never commanded or been
accustomed to men of honour.* He said, that he
had not sought for the employment. I told him
that such employments were not asked for ; that
they were given by governments to people who
had dishonoured themselves. He said that he
only did his duty, and that I ought not to blame
him, as he only acted according to his orders. I
replied, * So does the hangman. He acts accord-
ing to his orders. But when he puts a rope round
my neck to finish me, is that a reason that I
should like that hangman, because he acts ac-
cording to his orders ? Besides, I do not believe
that any government could be so mean as to ^ve
such orders as you cause to be executed.* I told
him, that if he pleased, he need not send up any
thing to eat. That I would go over and dine at the
table of the brave officers of the dSrd ; that I was
• Clerk.
A TOICS FROM ST. HELENA. 95
sure there was not one of them who woiild not
be happy to give a plate at the table to an old sol«
dier. TTiat there was not a soldier in the regi-
ment who had not more heart than he had. That
in the iniquitous bill of parliament, they had de-
creed that I was to be treated as a prisoner, but
that he treated me worse than a condemned cri-
minal, or a galley-slave, as they were permitted
to receive newspapers and printed books, which
he deprived me of. I said, ' you have power over
my body, but none over my soul. That soul is as
proud, fierce, and determined at the present mo-
ment, as when it commanded Europe.* I told him
that he was a Sicilian thief-catcher (shirro Sicilian
no), and not an Englishman ; and desired him not
to let me see him again until he came with orders
to despatch me, when he would find all the doors
thrown open to admit him."
^* It is not my custom," continued he, " to abuse
any person, but that mans effrontery produced
bad blood in me, and I could not help expressing
my sentiments. When he had the impudence to
tell me before the admiral that he had changed
nothing ; that all was the same as when he had
arrived, I replied, call the captain of ordinance (or^
donnance) here, and ask him. I will leave it to his
decision.' This struck him dumb, he was mute."
" He told me, that he had found his situation
so difiicult that he bad resigned. I replied, that
06 A VOICB FROM ST. HBLENA.
a worse man than himself could not be sent .oiit»
-ihough the employment was not one which a man
of spirit (galantuomo) would wish to accept. If
you have an opportunity," added he, *^ or if any
one asks you, you are at liberty to repeat what I
have told you.**
Gave him Sarrazin's ^^ Account of the Campaign
in Spain.** *^ Sarrazin,** said he, **was a traitor,
and a man without honour, truth, or probity.
When I returned from Elba to Paris, he wrote
an oflfer of his services to me, in which he pro-
posed, if I would forgive and employ him, to be-
tray to me all the secrets and plans of the English.
It was my intention to have had him tried as a
traitor, as he deserved, instead of accepting his
offer, but I was so much hurried that it escaped
my memory.**
21^^. — ^A ship arrived from England. Went to
town, where I saw Captain Stanfell, to whom I
mentioned in the course of conversation, that a
very unpleasant conversation had taken place be-
tween the governor and Napoleon, and that Sir
Hudson Lowe had told the latter that he had given
in his resignation. On my return, called at Hut*s
Gate, along with Captiun Maunsell of the 53rd,
and Captain Poppleton. Madame Bertrand asked
if there were any letters. Captain Maunsell said
that he had seen some for them at the post office.
On my arrival at Longwood, Napoleon asked me
4 VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA. 97
the same question, to which I replied, that Captain
Maonsell had informed Madame B^rand there
were some at the ppst^ffice. It was not my in-
toition to have mentioned tiiem until I had ascer*
tained whether they would be sent to Liongwood,
as I did not wish to embroil him further with the
governor ; but as I was assured that he would
hear it from Hut*s Gate, I could not conceal my
knowledge of the fact.
22nd. — Sir Hudson Liowe sent for me to Plan-
tation House. Found him walking in the path to
the left of the house. He said that he had some
communication to make to government, wished to
know the state of General Bonaparte*s health, and
whether I had any thing to say. ^^ I understand,"*
continued he, ^^ that Bonaparte told you I had
said that I had given in my resignation as gover«
nor of this island, is it true ?" I replied, " he told
roe that you had said so to him.** Sir Hudson
added, " I never said any such thing, nor ever
had an idea of it. He has either invented it, or
perhaps mistaken my expressions. I merely said,
that if the government did not approve of my con-
duct, I woidd resign. I wish you therefore to ex-
plain to him that I never either said so, or had any
intention of doing it.** He then asked me if I
had heard the subject of their conversation. I
replied, ^* some part of it," He wished to know
VOL. I. o
98 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA
what it was. I replied^ ^^ that I supposed he re*
membered it^ and that I did not wish to repeat
what must be disagreeable to him.** He observed
that I had mentioned it elsewhere^ and that he had
a right to hear it from my own lips. Although I
had permission to communicate it^ I was not pleas-
ed to be obliged to repeat to a man's face opinions
such as those which had been expressed of him ;
but under the circumstances of the case, I did
not think proper to refuse ; I therefore repeated
some parts. Sir Hudson said, that though he had
not commanded an army against him, yet that he
had probably done him more mischief, by the ad-
vice and information which he had given, prior to
and during the conferences at Chatillon, some of
which had not been published, as the conferences
were going on at the time — than if he had com-
manded against him. That what he had pointed
out, had been acted upon afterwards, and was the
cause of his downfal from the throne. *^ I should
like," added he, " to let him know this, in order
to give him some cause for his hatred. I shall pro-
bably publish an account of the matter.**
Sir Hudson Lowe then walked about for a
short time, biting his nails, and asked me if Ma-
dame Bertrand had repeated to strangers any of
the conversation which had passed between Ge-
neral Bonaparte and himself? I replied that I
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 99
was not aware that Madame Bertrand was yet ac-'
quainted with it. " She had better not," said he,
*^ lest it may render her and her husband*s situa-
tion much more unpleasant than at present," He
then repeated some of Napoleon*s expressions in a
very angry manner, and said, *^ did General Bona-
parte tell you, sir, that I told him his language was
impolite and indecent, and that I would not
listen any longer to it ?" I said, ^^ no,** " Then
it shewed," observed the governor, "great little-
ness on the part of General Bonaparte not to tell
you the whole. He had better reflect on his si-
tuation, for it is in my power to render him much
more uncomfortable than he is. If he continues
his abuse, I shall make him feel his situation.
He is a prisoner of war, and I have a right to
treat him according to his conduct. I'll build
him up." He walked about for a few minutes re-
peating ag^n some of the observations, which he
characterised as ungentleman-like, &c, until he
had worked himself into a passion, and said, " tell
General Bonaparte that he had better take care
whfit he does, as, if he continues his present
conduct, I shall be obliged to take measures to
increase the restrictions already in force." After
observing that he had been the cause of the loss of
the lives of millions of men, and might be again,
if he got loose, he concluded by saying, '• I consi-
TOO A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
da* Ali Pacha to be a much more respectable scouu"
drel than Bonaparte^*
23rd. — ^Told Napoleon, in the course of conver-
sation, that the governor had smd that he had
mistaken his expressions^ as he had never said^ or
intended to say^ that he had given in his resig-
nation ; that he had certainly expressed, that if the
government did not approve of his conduct, he
would resign, &c. " That is very extraordinary,"
said Napoleon, ** as he told me himself that he
had resigned, at least I understood him so. Tanto
peggior I then observed, that in consequence of
what had occurred at the last interview, it was
probable that he would not seek another. ^^ Tanto
meglio^ said the emperor, " as then I shall be freed
from the embarrassment del silo hrutto visoj fee."
2Qth. — ^Napoleon asked me " if I had seen the
letter written by Count Montholon to Sir Hudson
Lowe, containing a list of their grievances.'' I
replied that I had. *^Do you think,'* said he,
*' that this governor will send it to England?" I
assured him that there was not a doubt of it.
That moreover, the governor told me, that he had
offered to him not only to send their letters home,
but even to get them published in the news-
papers. ^' It is a fedsehood," replied the emperor.
* Mr. Baxter oame up and joined us about the moment that this
ezprewion waa uaed.
•A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. lOl
^ He said, that he would send letters to Europe,
and have them published, with this proviso how-
ever, that he approved of their contents. Besides,
if even he wished to do so, his government would
not permit it. Suppose for example, that I sent
him an address to the French nation ? — I do
not think,** continued he, ^^that they will allow
a letter, which covers them with so much dis-
grace, to be published. The people of England
want to know why I call myself emperor, after
having ab<Ucated — I have explained it in that let-
ter. It was my intention to have lived in Eng-
land as a private person incognito, but as they
have sent me here, and want to make it appear
that i was never chief magistrate or emperor of
France, I still retain the title ; * * ♦ told me, that
he heard Lords Liverpool and Castlereagh say,
that one of the principal reasons why they sent me
here, was a dread of my caballing with the oppo-
sition. It is likely enough that they were afraid of
my telling the truth of them, and of my explaining
some things which they would not like, as they
knew, that if I remained in England, they must
permit people of rank to see me.**
He afterwards complained of the unnecessary
severity exercised in depriving him of a series of
newspapers, and restricting him to some uncon-
nected numbers of the Bourbon paper, ^^The Times."
Within a few days, some more picquets have
102 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA.
been established, and several additional sentinelo
placed, some in sight of Napoleon, if he chose to
walk after sun-set. Ditches of eight or ten feet
deep, nearly completed round the garden.
27th. — ^Napoleon asked me if the French com-
missioner and Madame Sturmer had not had a
quarrel ? I replied, that Montchenu had said that
Madame Sturmer did not know how to come
into a drawing-room. He laughed at this, and
said, " I will venture to say, that the old booby
says so because she is not sprung from some oi
those imbeciles, the old noblesse. Because her
father is a plebeian. These old emigrants hate^
and are jealous of all who are not hereditary asses
like themselves." I asked him if the king of
Prussia was a man of talent, " Who,** said he,
^' the king of Prussia ?" He burst into a fit of
laughter. '^ He a man of talent ! The greatest
blockhead on earth. Un ignorantaccio che rum
ha nd talento, ni informazione. A Don Qubcote in
appearance. I know him well. He cannot hold
a conversation for five minutes. Not so his wife.
She was a very clever, fine woman, but very un-
fortunate. Era bellay graziosa, e plena tCintelll'
genzar He then conversed for a considerable
time about the Bourbons. *' They want," said
he, '^ to introduce the old system of nobility into
the army. Instead of allowing the sons of pea-
sants and labourers to be eligible to be made ge«
A TOICB VBOM ST. HELENA. 103
nerak, as they were in my time ; they want to
confine it entirely to the old nobility^ to emigre
like that old blockhead Montchenu. When you
have seen Montchenn^ yon have seen all the old
nobility of France before the revolution. Such
were all the race, and such they have returned,
ignorant, vain, and arrogant as they left it. lis
fCaat rien appris, ils rCont rien oubli^. They were
the cause of the revolution, and of so much
bloodshed ; and now, after twenty-five years of
exile and disgrace, they return loaded with the
same vices and crimes for which they were expar
triated, to produce another revolution. I know the
French. Believe me, that after six or ten years,
the whole race will be massacred and thrown
into the Seine. They are a curse to the nation.
It is of such as them that the Bourbons want to
make generals. I made most of mine, de la houe.
Wherever I found talent and courage, I rewarded
it. My principle was, la carridre ouverte aux
talens, without asking whether there were any
quarters of nobility to shew. It is true, that I
sometimes promoted a few of the old nobility,
from a principle of policy and justice, but I never
reposed great confidence in them. The mass of
the people,** continued he, "now see the revival
of the feodal times : they see that soon it will be
impossible for their progeny to rise in the army.
Every true Frenchman reflects with anguish, that
104 A ^v^tii Pi^iif^. ^e^^iJitsAK
^ fwuly for 66 meaiy yetiiW odkms to France^ kik
been fofH^ed upon them' aver a bridge of Jbreigh
bcn/onets. What I am going to recotint mil gire
you some idea of the imbecility of the femiiy.
When the Count d'Artois came to Lyons^ altfaougli
he threw himself on his knees before the troops^ ilk
order to induce them to advance against me, he
never put on the cordon of the le^on of honour,
although he knew that the sight of it would be
most likely to excite the minds of the soldiers
in his favour, as it was the order so many oi
them bore on their breasts, and required nothing
but bravery to obtain it. But no, he decked him*
self out with the order of the Holy Ghost, to be
eligible for which, you must prove one hundred
and fifty years of nobility, an order formed pur-
posely to exclude merit, and one which excited in*
dignation in the breasts of the old soldiers. ' We
will not,' said they, * fight for orders like that,
nor for emigres like those,' he had ten or eleveti
of these imbecilles as dd-deK>amps. Instead of
shewing to those troops some of those generals who
had so often led them to glory, he brought with
him a set of miserablesy who served no other pur-
pose than to recall to the minds of the veterans
their former sufferings under the noblesse and the
priests.*
"To give you an instance of the general feeling in
France towards the Bourbons, I will relate to you
A TOICB FROM 8T» HSLBNA. 105
an amodote. On my return from Italy^ while my
carnage was ascending the steep hill of Tarare, I
gut out and walked up without any attendants,
as was often my custom. My wife and my suite
were at a little distance behind me. I saw an old
woman^ lame, and hobbling about with the help of
a crutch endeavouring to ascend the mountain. I
had a great coat on, and was not recognised. I
went up to her and said. Well, ma bonne, where
are you going with a haste which so little belongs
to your years ? What is the matter ? ' Ma foil re-
plied the old dame, ^ they tell me the emperor is
here, and I want to see him before I die.' Bah,
bah, said I, what do you want to see him for ?
What have you gained by him ? He is a tyrant as
well as the others. You have only changed one
tyrant for another, Louis for Napoleon. ^ Mais^
monsieur, that may be ; but, after all he is the
king of the people, and the Bourbons were the
kings of the nobles. We have chosen him, and if
we are to have a tyrant, let him be one chosen by
ourselves.' There," said he, you have the sen-
timents of the French nation expressed by an old
woman."
I asked his opinion about Soult, and mentioned
that I had heard some persons place him in the
rank next to himself as a general. He replied,
^ he is an excellent minister at war, or major-ge-
neral of an army : one who knows much better the
VOL. I. p
106 A VOICE FROM ST, HELENA.
arrangement of an army than to command in
chief."
Some officers of the 53rd told Madame Ber-
trand that Sir Thomas Reade had said, that Bo-
naparte did not like the sight of them, or of any
other red coat, as it put him in mind of Water-
loo. Madame Bertrand assured them, that it was
directly contrary to every thing that he had ever
expressed in her hearing. The same was men-
tioned to me yesterday by Lieutenants Fitzgerald
and Mackay.
28tk. — Informed that the famous letter was
shewn to several officers of the army and the navy,
and probably some copies sent to England.
A letter given by Count Montholon this even-
ing, to Captain Poppleton, for the governor, ex-
pressing a wish, that, if the governor did not think
proper to put matters with respect to passes on
the same footing as they were in Sir George Cock-
burn's time, which had been approved of by his
government, he should no longer grant passes to
any person.
30 th. — ^Napoleon rose at three, a. m. Conti-
nued writing until six; when he retired to rest
again. At five o'clock Count Bertrand came to
Captain Poppleton, and told him that the emperor
desired to see him. Poppleton, being in his morn-
ing walking-dress, wished to retire and change,
but was desired to come sans cdr^monie. He was
A VOICE FROM ST. HEJJSNA. l07
accordingly ushered into the billiard-room^ in his
dishabille. Napoleon was standing with his hat
under his arm. ^ Well^ M. le Capitaine^ said he,
**I believe you are the senior captain of the 53rd ?*
^ I am.** ^ I have an esteem for the officers and
men of the 53rd. They are brave men^ and do
their duty. I have been informed that it is said
in camp^ that I do not wish to see the officers.
Will you be so good as to tell them^ that whoever
asserted this^ told a falsehood. I never said or
thought so^ I shall be always happy to see them.
I have been told also^ that they have been prohi-
bited by the governor from visiting me.** Captain
Foppleton replied^ that he believed the informa-
tion which he had received was groundless^ and
that the officers of the 53rd were acquainted with
the good opinion which he had previously ex-
pressed of them, which was highly flattering to
their feelings. That they had the greatest respect
for him. Napoleon smiled, and replied, "»/e ne
suis pas vieille femme. I love a brave soldier who
has undergone, le bapteme dufeuy whatever nation
he may belong to.**
31*/. — Sir George Bingham and Major Fehrzeu
of the 53rd, had a long conversation with Napo-
leon.
September \st. — Sir Hudson Lowe came to
Longwood. Two or three days ago, the " letter^
bad been shewn and read by Count Las Cases,
108' A TOICB FROM ST. HB LBN A.
to Captain Grey of the artillery; and some other
officers. Sir Hudson was very desirous to kno^
whether any of them had taken a oopy of it. I
informed him^ that any person at Longwood who
liked, might get one. His excellency appeared
greatly alarmed at this, and observed, that it was
an infraction of the act of parliament in any per-
son, not belonging to Longwood, to receive it.
He then asked if I had communicated to General
Bonaparte, what he had directed me to say on
the 22nd instant. I replied that I had, that Na^
poleon had said, '^ That he might act as he
pleased, that the only thing left undone now^ was
to put sentinels to the doors and windows to pre-
vent him from going out ; that as long as he had a
book, he cared but little about it.** The governor
remarked, that he had sent his letter of complaints
to the British government, and that it rested with
the ministers how to act. That he had put them
in full possession of every thing, which he desired
me to tell him. He added, that it was true he
could not be much worse than he was.
4th. — ^Told Napoleon that the governor had
directed me to say that Count Montholon's letter
had been sent to his majesty's government, and
that it rested with the ministers how to act. TTiat
he had put them in full possession of every thing.
"Perhaps," replied he, ^Mt will be published in
the English newspapers before his copy arrives.**
▲ VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 109
^ * • • - •
t 5/Ai-^-Major Gorrequer came up to Longwood
to arrange matters with General Montbolon^ re-
lative to the proposed reduction of the expendi
ture, at which he begged me to be present. The
purport of his communication was, that when
the British government had fixed 8,000/. as the
maximum of the whole of the expense attendant
upon General Bonaparte's establishment, they had
contemplated that a great reduction would take
place in the number of persons composing it, by
some of the general officers and others returning to
Europe. But as that had not taken place, the go-
vernor had on his own responsibility directed that
an additional sum of 4,000/. shoidd be added, mak-
ing in the whole 12,000/. for all and every expense;
that General Montholon must therefore be inform-
ed, that on no account could the expenditure be
allowed to exceed 1,000/. per month. Should Ge-
neral Bonaparte be averse to the reductions ne-
cessary to bring the disbursements within that
sum, the surplus must be paid by himself, by
bills drawn upon some banker in Europe, or by
such of his friends as were willing to pay them.
Count Montholon replied, that the emperor was
ready to pay all the expenses of the establish-
ment, if they would allow him the means of doing
so ; and that if they permitted a mercantile or
banking-house in St. Helena, London, or Paris,
chosen by the British government itself to serve
110 A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA.
as intermediators, through whom they could send
sealed letters and receive answers, he would esa*
gage to pay all the expenses. That on the one
side, his honour should be pledged that the letters
should relate solely to pecuniary matters ; and on
the other that the correspondence should be held
sacred. Major Gorrequer replied, that this could
not be complied with ; that no sealed letters woidd
be suffered to leave Longwood,
Major Gorrequer shortly aftei-wards told Count
Montholon, that the intended reductions would
take place on the 15th of the present month, and
begged of him to arrange matters with Mr. Bal-
combe, the purveyor, about the disposition of the
1,000/. monthly, unless he chose to give drafts
for the surplus. Count Montholon replied, that he
would not meddle with it; that the governor might
act as he pleased ; that at the present moment
there was not any superfluity of provisions sup-
plied ; that as soon as the reductions took place,
he, for his part would give up all charge, and
would not meddle further in the matter. That the
conduct of the English ministry was infamous,
in declaring to Europe that the emperor should
not be suffered to want for any thing, and refusing
the offers of the allied powers to defray a part of
the expenses, and now reducing him and his
suite nearly to rations. Major Gorrequer denied
that the allied powers had ever made snch an
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA. Ill
offer. Montholon replied that he had read it ia
some of the papers. Major Gorrequer then ob-
served, that a great reduction could be made in
the wine, viz. that it could be reduced to ten bot-
tles of claret daily^ and one of madeira ; that at
Plantation House, the consumption was regulated
on the average of one bottle to each person. Mon-
tholon replied, that the French drank much less
than the English ; and that he had already done
at the emperor's table what he never had done in
his own private house in France, viz. corked up
the remnants of the bottles of wine, in order to
produce them on the table the next day ; that more-
over, at night there was not a morsel of meat re-
maining in the pantry. Gorrequer observed, that
12,000/. a year was a very handsome allowance.
" About as much as 4,000/. in England," replied
Montholon. The business was then deferred until
Saturday. Before leaving Longwood, Major Gor-
requer himself allowed to me that the establishment
could not be carried on for 12,000/. annually;
but that he thought a reduction of about 2,000/.
yearly might be made. I observed that it might,
provided a store of every thing necessary was
established at Long^vood, together with a stock-
yard, under the direction of a proper person.
7th. — Major Gorrequer came up, and had a
long conversation with Count Montholon, in my
presence. The latter told him that orders had been
Iflj^ A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
ffvext ta discharge seven servants^ which) with the
consequent saving of provisions, and a reduction
of wine^ would diminish the expenses of the esta-
blishment to about 15,194/. annually ; but that
sum was the minimum of mlnimum^y and that no
further reductions could possibly take place. Ma-
jor Gorrequer observed, that it was nearly what
he had calculated himself. However, he still per-
sisted in declaring that on the 15th, not more than
1,000/. per month would be allowed. Count Mon-
tholon then, after renewing the offer made on the
]£^ conversation, said, that as the emperor was not
permitted by the British government to have ac-
cess to his property, he had no other means left
thap to dispose of his property, and that accord-
ingly a portion of his plate would be sent to the
town for sale, in order to obtain the sum required
monthly, in addition to that allowed by Sir Hud-
son Lowe, to provide them with the necessaries of
life. Major Gorrequer said, that he would ac-
quaint the governor with it.
Sir Hudson Lowe, accompanied by General
Meade, (who had arrived a day or two before)
came up and rode round Longwood. He appeared
to point out to the general the limits, and other
matters connected with the piisoners.
At night Napoleon sent for me, and complained
of severe headach. He was sitting in his bed*
room, wiih only a wood fire bmning^ the flames
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 113
of wbicli» alternately blazing and sinking, gave at
inoments a most singular and melancholy expres-
sion to bis countenance, as be sat opposite to it
with his hands crossed upon his knees, probably
reflecting upon his forlorn condition. After a
moment's pause, ^^ Dottore^ said he; ^^potete dar
qualcosa a far dormire un uomo che non pud ?
This is beyond your art. I have been trying iu
vain to procure a little rest. I cannot,** con-
tinued he, ^^ well comprehend the conduct of
your ministers. They go to tbe expense of 60,
or 70,000/. in sending out furniture, wood, and
building materials for my use, and at the same
time send orders to put me neaily on rations, and
oblige me to discharge my servants, and make
redactions incompatible with the decency and
comfort of the house. Then we have aid-de-
camps, making stipulations about a bottle of wine
and two or three pounds of meat, with as nmch
gravity and consequence as if they were treating
about the distribution of kingdoms. I see contra-
dictions that I cannot reconcile : on the one hand,
enoimous and useless expenditure ; on the other,
unpai*alleled meanness and littleness. Why do not
they allow me to provide myself with every thing,
instead of disgi*acing the character of the nation r
They will not funiish my followei-s vrith what they
have been accustomed to, nor will they allow me
to provide for them by sending sealed letters.
Vol. I. Q
114 A VOICR FROM 8T. HELENA*
through a mercantile house even of then* own se*
lection. For no man in France would answer a
letter of mine, when he knew that it would be
read by the Englisli minister, and that he would
consequently be denounced to the Bourbons, and
his property and person exposed to certain de-
struction. Moreover, your own ministers have not
given a specimen of good faith in seizing upon the
trifling sum of money that I had in the Bellero-
phon ; which gives reason to suppose that they
would do the same again, if they knew where any
of my property was placed. It must be,** conti*
nued he, " to gull the English nation. John Bull,
seeing all this furniture sent out, and so much pa-
rade and shew in the preparations made in England,
concludes that I am well treated here. If they
knew the truth and the dishonour which it reflects
upon them they would not sufier it.** He then
asked who was " that strange general officer ?** I
replied. General Meade, who with Mrs. Meade,
had arrived a few days back. That I had been
tinder his command in Egypt, where he had been
severely wounded. *'What, with Abercrombie r**
^ No,- I replied, " during the unfortunate attack
npon Rosetta.** " What sort of a man is he ?** I
replied, that he bore a very excellent character.
*'That governor,** said he, "was seen stopping
him frequently, and pointing in different direc-
tions. I suppose that he has been filling his head
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 115
with bugie about me, and has told him that I hate
the sight of every Englishman, as some of his
canaille have said to the officers of the 53rd. I shall
order a letter to be written to tell him that I will
see him.**
8th. — ^A letter written by Count Montholon to
General Meade, containing cm invitation to come
to Longwood, and stating that the emperor would
be glad to see him. This was g^ven to Captain
Poppleton, who was also requested to inform
Mrs. Meade that Napoleon could scarcely re-
quest a lady to visit him ; but that, if she came,
he should be happy to see her likewise. Captain
Poppleton delivered this letter open to Sir Hud-
son Lowe. His excellency handed the note to
General Meade. On the road down to James
Town, General Meade reined back his horse, and
spoke to Captain Poppleton nearly as follows :
that he should have been very happy to have
availed himself of the invitation, but that he un-
derstood restrictions existed, and that he must
apply to the governor for permission, and in the
next place the vessel was under weigh, and he
could not well detain her. This he begged of
him to convey to Longwood. A written apology
was afterwards sent by him to the count, expres-
sing his thanks for the honour done to him, and
excusing himself on the ground of the vessel's
being under weigh.
116 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
9///. — ^Njipoleon complained of head-ach, colic,
&c, — I wished him to take a dose of physic, which
he declined, saying, that he would cure himself
by diet and chicken water. He said, that Geneml
Meade had written an apology to Count Montho-
lon, expressing his inability to accept of the invita-
tion ; •* but I am convinced," continued he, " that
in reality he was prevented by the governor. Tell
him the first time yon see him that I said he pre-
vented Genei-al Meade from coming to see me."
General Gourgaud and Montholon complained
of the wine, which they suspected contained lead,
as it gave them the colic, and desired me to get
3ome tests in order to analyze it.
Young Las Cases and Pointkowski went to
town this day, and had a conversation with the
Russian and French commissioners. On their
return, Pointkowski said, that on their arrival
Sir Tliomas Reade had sent orders to the lieute-
nant who accompanied them, not to allow them to
separate ; and that he must follow them every-
where, and listen to their conversation. While
they were speaking to the Rose-bud, (a very pret-
ty young lady, so denominated from the fresh-
ness and fineness of her complexion), one of Sir
Thomas Readers orderlies brought out their
horses by his command, with directions to inform
them that their servant was drunk, and that
if they did not leave the town, directly, he, (Sir
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 117
Thomas)^ would confine him as he was a soldier^
and punish him for being drunk. That young Las
Cases, who was cooler^ had desired him to denumd
an order in writing to that effect ; but that in his
passion he could not help saying that he would
horsewhip any person who attempted to lead the
horses away.
lOth. — Napoleon after some conversation touch-
ing the state of his health, said, that '^ while
young Las Cases was speaking to the Russian
commissioner, yesterday, the governor was walk-
ing up and down before the house where they
were, watching them. I could not have believed
it possible before, that a lieutenant-general and a
governor, could have demeaned himself by acting
as a gendarme. Tell him so the next time you see
him."
Napoleon then made some observations upon
the bad quality of the wine furnished to Longwood,
and remarked^ that when he was a sous lieutenant
of artillery, he had a better table, and drank better
wine than at preser.t.
I saw Sir Hudson Lowe afterwards, who asked
me if General Bonaparte had made any observa-
tions relative to General Meade's not having ac-
cepted the offer made to him ? I replied that he
had said he was convinced that he, (Sir Hudson),
had prevented him from accepting of it, and had
desired me tell him that such was his opinion.
No sooner had I pronounced this^ than his excel-
118 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
lency^s countenance changed, and he exclcdmed
in a violent tone of voice, " He is a d d lying
rascal^ a d— d black-hearted villain. I wished
General Meade to accept it, and told him to do
so.** He then walked about for a few minutes in
an agitated manner, repeating, ^ that none but a
black-hearted villain would have entertained such
an idea ;" then mounted his horse, and rode away.
He had not proceeded more than about a hundred
paces, when he wheeled round, rode back to where
I was standing, and said in a very angry manner,
" Tell General Bonaparte that the assertion that I
prevented General Meade from going to see him, i
una bugia infame^ e chee un buglardone chi P ha
detto* Tell him my exact words.**
Sir Thomas Reade informed me that Point-
kowski's account of the transaction in town was
false ; that the only orders he had given to Lieute-
nant Sweeny, were not to lose sight of them. That
seeing their servant was so drunk, that he could
not sit on horseback, he had sent his own orderly
to assist in bringing the hoi^es out, merely as an
act of civility.
12M. — Napoleon still unwell ; complained of
slight colic. Recommended him strongly to take
a dose of Epsom salts. In a good humoured man-
* The words were delivered in Italian^ and signify in English, *' is
«n mfamous lit, and the person who said it, is a great liar,** — It is al-
most unnecessary for me to Bay, that I did not deliver this mona^
in the manner 1 was directed to convey it
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 119
ner he gave me a slap in the face, aiid said if he
was not better to-morrow, he would take his own
medicine, crystals of tartar. During the conversa-
tion I informed him that the governor had assured
me that he had not only not prevented General
Meade from seeing him, but that he had recom*
mended him to accept of the invitation. ^ I do
not believe him,** said Napoleon, ^^ or if he did,
it was done in such a manner as to let the other
know that he would rather wish he did not avail
himself of it.**
I related afterwards to him the explanation
given to me by Sir Thomas Reade, of Point-
kowski*s afimr. ^'What I complain of,** said he,
*^ is the disingenuous manner in which they act, in
order to prevent any of the French from going to
the town. Why do they not say at once manfully,
* You cannot go to town,* and then nobody will
ask, instead of converting officers into spies and
gendarmes, by making them follow the French
every where, and listen to their conversation. But
their design is to throw so many impediments in
the way, and render it so disagreeable to us as to
amount to a prohibition, without giving any direct
orders, to enable this governor to say that we have
the liberty of the town, but that we do not choose
to avail ourselves of it.**
I saw Sir Hudson Lowe in town, to whom I
explained what I had said to Napoleon about
l!|20 A VOICS PROM 8T. HKLBNA.
Pointkowski, his reply, also the complaint made
by Generals Gourgaud and Montholon of the
wine, and his request that I might procure some
tests to analyze it. A few bottles of clai^t have
been borrowed from Capt. Poppleton for Napo-
leons own use.
13///. — ^Napoleon much better. Had a conver-
sation witli Mr. Balcombe relative to the concerns
of the establistiment.
A large quantity of plate weighed for the pur-
pose of being broken up for sale. Information
given of this by Captain Poppleton to Sir Hudson
Lowe. Complaints made by Count Montholon
and Cipriani of the state of the copper saucepans
at Longwood. Found them^ on examination^ to
be in want of immediate tinning. Communicated
the above to Major Gorrequer, with a request that
a tradesman might be sent forthwith to repair them.
A letter came from Mr. Balcombe to Count Mon-
tholon^ containing the scale of provisions,* &c.
which had been fixed for their daily use, accord-
ing to the reduction ordered by the governor.
Montholon refused to sign any more receipts.
In the evening, Cipriani went to Capt. Maunsell,
and requested of him to obtain for him a dozen
or two of the same claret which for two or three
days they had borrowed from Captain Poppleton
for the emperor, and which had been got from the
* See Appendix, No. IV.
A VOfCB FROM ST. HBLBNA. 131^
58rd'8 mess, as that sent up from James Town had
given faim the colic, adding that they wonld dther
pay for it, or return an equal quantity. This re-
quest was interpreted by me to Capt. Maunsell,
who said that he would endeavour to procure it.
Received an answer from Major Gorrequer,
acquainting me that he had ordered a new bMerie
de cuisine to be sent to Longwood, &c. &c.
Sir Hudson Lowe and staff in camp ; he was
very angry at the request which had been made to
Captain Maunsell to procure the wine. It appeared
that Capt. Maunsell had mentioned it to his bro-
ther, and to the wine-committee of the regiment,
who proposed to send a case of claret to Napo-
leon. This was told to Sir George Bingham, and
reported by him to the governor, who sent for me,
and said, that I had no business to act as inter-
preter on such an occasion. Major Gorrequer
observed, that the wine had been sent out for the
use of General Bonaparte, and that he ought to
be obliged to drink it, or get nothing else.
\5th. — ^^Vrote to Major Gorrequer, in answer
to some points of his last letter, and gave him an
explanation about the wine affair of yesterday ; in
which I stated that General Gourgaud had affirmed
that there was lead in the wine, and had begged of
me to procure some tests for the purpose of ascer-
taining the fact ; adding, that I had acquainted Sir
Hudson Lowe with this request the last time I had
Vol. I. R
122 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
seen him in town. I hinted also that it was very na-
tural for Napoleon to believe General GourgancTs
assertion (who was considered to be a good che-
mist), until it was proved not to be correct. This
letter I requested him to lay before the governor.
17 th. — Gave a minute explanation to Sir Hud-
son Lowe in person of the wine transaction be-
tween Captain Maunsell, Cipriani, and myself^
with which his excellency was pleased to say he
was perfectly satisfied.
This day, Major Gorrequer, in the course of con-
versation with me relative to the provisioning of
Longwood, said, that Sir Hudson Lowe had ob-
served, that any soldiers who would attend at
Longwood as servants to General Bonaparte,
were unworthy of rations. Sir Thomas Reade
begged of me to try and get him some of Napo-
leon's plate whole, which he observed, would sell
better in that state than if it were broken up.
18/A. — Sir Hudson Lowe at Longwood. Sir
Thomas Reade told me that Bertrand had injured
himself very much in his conversation with the
governor, as the latter had found it to be his duty
to write a strong letter on the subject to Lord
Bathurst.
I9th. — ^A large portion of Napoleon's plate
broken up, the imperial arms and the eagles cut
out and put by. Count Montholon applied to
Captain Poppleton for an officer to accompany
▲ TOICS FROM ST. HBLBNA, 128
him to James Town, for the purpose of disposing
of the plate^ with which the latter acquainted the
governor forthwith by an orderly. Received back
an order to acquaint Count Montholon, '' that the
money produced by the sale of the silver should
not be paid to him^ but be deposited in the hands
of Mr. Balcombe the purveyor, for the use of
General Bonaparte.**
21^.— nSir Pulteney Malcolm came up to Long-
wood, in order to take leave of Napoleon, prior
to his departure for the Cape of Good Hope,
Miiich was expected to take place in a few days.
Had a long interview, and was received very gra-
ciously by Napoleon, the conversation was chiefly
relative to the Scheldt, Antwerp, battles in Ger-
many, the Poles, &c.
Wrote last night to Sir Thomas Reade, by re-
quest of Madame Bertrand, to know whether per-
mission would be granted that a phaeton, which
had been purchased with Napoleon's own money,
and afterwards g^ven by him to Madame Bertrand,
might be sent to the Cape for sale by Sir Pulteney
Malcolm's ship. Concluded by requesting him
to let me know, before he applied to the governor,
if there was any impropriety in the request, as in
that case it should not be made.
23rd. — ^Received an answer from Sir Thomas
Reade, announcing that the governor had given
his consent for the sale of the phaeton^ with a pro*
124 A VOICB FROM 8T. HSLBNA.
viso^ that the money derived from it should not
be paid to themselves^ but deposited in Mr. Bal^
combe's hands. Three of Bertrand's servants very
seriously ill.
Heard a curious anecdote of Gen. Vandamme.
When made prisoner by the Russians, he was
brought before the emperor Alexander, who re*
proached him in bitter terms with being a robber,
a plunderer, and a murderer ; adding, that no fa-
vour could be granted to such an execrable cha*
racter. This was followed by an order that he
should be sent to Siberia, whilst the other pri<^
sonei-s were sent to a much less northern destina*
tion. Vandamme replied with great sang froid^
^^ It may be, sire, that I am a robber and a plun*
derer ; but at least I have not to reproach myself
vnXh having soiled my hands with the blood of a
father 1 1"
Met Sir Hudson Lowe on his way to Long*
wood, who observed, that General Bonaparte had
done himself a great deal of mischief by the letters
which he caused Count Montholon to write, and
that he wished him to know it. That by ooor
ducting himself properly for some years, the mi-
nistei-s might believe him to be sincere, and aUow
him to return to England. He added, that he
(Sir Hudson) had written such letters to England
about Count Las Cases, as would effectually pre-
vent his ever being permitted to return to France.
A VOICE FROM 8T. HfiLENA. 125
On his arrival at Longwood, the fowls which had
been sent up for the da/s consumption were shewn
to his excellency by Captain P. He was pleased
to admit that they were very bad«
37/A. — The commissioners came up to Lon^'^
wood gate, and wanted to enter^ but were refused
admission by the officer of the guard, as their
passes did not specify Longwood, but merely
^ wherever a British officer might pass.*
28th. — ^Napoleon occupied in reading Denon^s
large work on Egypt, from which he was making
some extracts with his own hand.
October 1st. — Repeated to Napoleon what Sir
Hudson Lowe had desired me on the 23rd. He
replied, *'I expect nothing from the present mi-
nistry but ill treatment. The more they want to
lessen me, the more I will exalt myself. It was
my intention to have assumed the name of Colonel
Meuron, who was killed by my side at Areola,
covering me with his body, and to have lived as
a private person in England, in some part of the
country where I might have lived retired, without
ever desiring to mix in the grand world. I would
never have gone to London, nor have dined out.
Probably I should have seen very few persons.
Perhaps I might have formed a friendship with
some savans. I would have rode out every day, and
then returned to my books.** I observed, that as
long as he kept up the title of majesty, the English
126 A VOICE FROM ST. HKLBNA.
ministers would have a pretext for keeping him
in St. Helena. He replied, ^ they force me to it.
I wanted to assume an incognito on my arrival
here, which was proposed to the admiral, but
they will not permit it. They insist on calling
me General Bonaparte. I have no reason to be
ashamed of that title, but I will not take it from
them. If the republic had not a legal existence,
it had no more right to constitute me general, than
first magistrate. If the admiral had remained,"
continued he, " perhaps matters might have been
arranged. He had some heart, and to do him
justice was incapable of a mean action. Do
you think,** added he, " that he will do us an in-
jury on his arrival in England ?" I replied, ** I do
not think that he will render you any service, par-
ticularly in consequence of the manner in which
he was treated when he last came up to see yoii,
but he will not tell any falsehoods : he will strictly
adhere to the truth, and give his opinion about
you, which is not very favourable.** " Why so,**
replied he, ** we were very well together on board
ship. What can he say of me ? that I want to
escape, and mount the throne of France again ?**
I replied, that it was very probable he would
both think and say so. *^ Bah,** replied Napo-
leon. ^^ If I were in England now, and a depu-
tation from France were to come and offer me the
throne, I would not accept of it, unless I knew such
A TOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 127
to be the unanimous wish of the nation. Other-
wise I should be obliged to turn bourreau, and cut
off the heads of thousands to keep myself upon
it— oceans of blood must flow to keep me there. —
I have made noise enough in the world already,
perhaps too much, and am now getting old, and
want retirement. These," continued he, " were
the motives which induced me to abdicate the
last time.** I observed to him, that when he was
emperor, he had caused Sir George Cockbum*8
brother to be arrested, when envoy at Hamburg,
and conveyed to France, where he was detained
for some years. He appeared surprised at this,
and endeavoured to recollect it. After a pause,
he asked me, if I was sure that the person so ar-
rested was Sir George Cockbum's brother. I re-
plied, that I was perfectly so, as the admiral had
told me the circumstance himself. " It is likely
enough,** replied he, " but I do not recollect the
name. I suppose, however, that it must have
been at the time when I caused all the English I
could find on the continent to be detained, be-
cause your government had seized upon all the
French ships, sailors, and passengers they could
lay their hands upon in harbour, or at sea, before
the declaration of war. I, in my turn, seized upon
all the English that I could find at land, in order
to shew them that if they were all-powerful at
sea, and could do what they liked there, I was
198 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA,
equally so by land^ and had as good a right to
seize people on my element as they had upon
tfadrs. Now^ said he, ^^I can comprehend tbci
reason why your ministers selected him. I am
surprised, however, that he never told me any
thing about it. A man of delicacy would not have
accepted the task of conducting me here under
similar circumstances. You will see,** continued
he, '^ that in a short time the English will cease to
hate me. So many of them have been, and are ia
France, where they will heai* the truth, that they
will produce a revolution of opinion in England-^
I will leave it to them to justify me, and I have
no doubts about the result.**
Learned that the commissioners had obtained
permission from Sir Hudson Lowe to come as far
as the inner gate of Longwood.
Sir Hudson Lowe, accompanied by Sir Hios.
Reade, Major Gorrequer, Wynyard, and Prichard,
and followed by three dragoons and a servant;
rode into Longwood^ alighted in front of the bil-
liard-room, and demanded to ^^see General Bo-
naparte.** A reply was given by General Mon-
tholon, that he was indisposed. This did not
satisfy his excellency, who sent ag^ in rather an
authoritative manner, to say, that he had some-
thing to communicate, which he wanted to deliver
in person to General Bonaparte^ and to no other
person would he give it An answer was sent.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 129
that notice would be given to him when he could
be received, that Napoleon was then suffering
with a bad tooth. At four, p. m. Napoleon sent
for me, and desired me to look at one of the denies
sapientice, which was carious and loose. He then
asked me if I knew what the governor wanted, or
why he wished to see him ? I replied, that per-
haps, he had some communication from Lord
Bathurst, which he did not like to deliver to any
other person. " It will be better for us not to
meet," said Napoleon. '^ It is probably some
litise of Lord Bathurst, which he will make worse
by his ungracious manner of communicating it. I
am sure it is nothing that is good, or he would not
be so anxious to deliver it himself. Lord * * * * is
a bad man, his communications are bad, and he is
worse than all. Nothing good can arise from an
interview.**
^^ The last time I saw him he laid his hand
upon his sabre two or three times in a violent
manner, therefore go to him or to Sir T. Reade to-
morrow, and tell him that if he has any thing to
communicate, he had better send it to Bertrand,
or Bertrand will go to his house : assure him that
he may rely upon Bert rand's making a faithful re-
port. Or let him send Colonel Reade to me to
explain what he has to say; I will receive and
hear him, because he will be only the bearer of
orders and not the giver of them ; therefore if he
VOL. I. 8
130 A VOICB FROM ST. HfiLBNA,
comes upon a bad mission, I shall not be angry;
as he will only obey the orders of a superior." I
endeavoured to induce him to meet the governor,
in order, if possible, to make up the differences be-
tween them ; but he replied, ^^ to meet him would
be the worst mode of attempting it, as he was con-
*Ment it was some betise of Lord Bathursfs which
he would make worse, and convert into an insult
by his brutal mode of delivering it. You know,"*
added he, ^^ I never got into a passion with the
admiral, because even when he had something
bad to communicate, he did it with some feeling ;
but this man treats us as if we were so many de-
; serters,**
Knowing that Sir Thomas Reade was quite
: incapable of explaining to him in either French or
Italian the purport of any communication ex-
. ceeding a few words, I asked him, ^^ In case Sir
' Thomas Reade should not find himself capable of
' . expl^ning perfectly every particular, and should
. commit what he had to say to paper, if he would
read it, or allow it to be read to him ?"* he replied
^* certainly, let him do this, or send it to Bertrand.
.As to me, perhaps I shall not see him for six n&onths.
Let him break open the doors or level the house, I
;am not subject to the English laws, because they do
not protect me. I am sure,*" continued he, '^ that he
iias nothing pleasant to communicate, or he would
not be so anxious to do it personally. Nothing
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLENA;. 131
bat insulte or bad news ever came from Lord
Bathiirst. I wish they would give orders to have
me despatched. I do not like to commit suicide ;
it is a thing that I have always disapproved of. I
have made a vow to dndn the cup to the last
draught ; but I should be most rejoiced if they
would send directions to put me to death."
2nd. — Saw Napoleon in the morning. A
tooth-ach, he said, had prevented him from
sleeping a great part of the night : his cheek was
swelled. Aifter having examined the tooth, I re-
commended the extraction of it. He desired rae
to go to the governor and deliver a message, the
purport of which was, that in consequence of in-
disposition, pain, and want of sleep, he found him-
self unfit to listen calmly to communications, or
to enter into discussions ; therefore that he wished
the governor would communicate to Count JBer-
trand whatever he had to say. That Count Ber-
trand would faithfully report it to him. If he
would not communicate it to Count Bertrand, or to
any other resident at Longwood, Napoleon would
have no objection to receive it from Colonel
Reade. The remainder of the message was simi-
lar to what he had said on the same subject yes^
terday. ** If," added he, ** that man were to bring
me word that a frigate had arrived for the pur-
pose of taking me to England, I should conceive
it to be bad news, because he was the bearer of it.
132 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
TV^th such a temper of mind, you must see haw
improper it would be that an interview should
take place. He came up here yesterday, sur-
rounded with his staff, as if he were going in state
to assist at an execution, instead of asking pri-
vately to see me. Three times has he gone away
in a passion, therefore it will be better that no moi'e
interviews should take place between us, as no
good can arise from it ; and, as he represents his
nation here, I do not like to insult or make severe
remarks to him, similar to those I was obliged to
express before.
Went to Sir Hudson Lowe, to whom I made
known the message with which I had been charged^
suppressing the offensive parts, but communicating
all that was necessary to elucidate its meaning. His
excellency desired me to give it to him in writing,
and then told me, that the secretary of state had sent
directions to him to inquire very minutely concern-
ing a letter which had appeared in one of the Ports-
mouth papers concerning Bonaparte, and which
had given great offence to his majesty's ministers ;
particularly as it had been reported to them by
Captain Hamilton of the Havannah frigate, that
I was cither the author, or had brought it on
board. His excellency then asked me who I had
written to, adding, " there is no harm in the letter.
It is very correct in general, but the ministers do
not like that any thing should be published about
A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA. 133
him. Every thing must come through them C* also
that Captain Hamilton had reported that it was »i
anonymous letter, and expressly intended for pub-
lication. I replied to Sir Hudson Lowe, that I
had never written an anonymous letter in my life,
and that several letters had been published in the
newspapers, of which I had been supposed the
author, until another individual had acknowledged
them to have been written by him« Sir Hudson
Lowe desired me to write a letter of explanation
to him on the subject ; after which, he dictated to
Sir Thomas Reade what he wished me to express
in answer to General Bonaparte, of which I took
the following copy ; which the governor read be-
fore I left the house.
"Ilie principal object of the governor's visit to
Longwood to sec General Bonaparte, was from a
sense of attention towards him, in order to ac-
quaint him, first, with instructions received con-
cerning his officers, which could only be decided
by him, before informing them. The governor
would wish the communication with General Bo-
naparte should be made by himself in the pre-
sence of Sir Thomas Reade, or some of his own
staff, and one of the French generals. He never
intended to say any thing which would affront or
insult General Bonaparte ; on the contrary, he
wished to conciliate and modify the strict letter
of bis instructions, with every attention and re-
134 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
spect to him, and cannot conceive the cause of so
much resentment manifested by General Bona-
parte towards him. If he would not consent to
an intei*view with the governor in the presence
of other pei*sons, the governor would send Sir
Thomas Reade, (if he consented to it,) to commu-
nicate the general purport of what he had to say,
leaving some points for future discussion. If
Count Bertrand was sent to the governor, some
expression of concern would be required from
him for the language made use of by him to the
governor, on the last interview which the governor
undertook, by desire of General Bonaparte him-
self ; and the governor conceives the same expres-
sion of concern necessary from Count Bertrand,
on the part of General Bonaparte himself, for his
intemperate language in the last interview with
the governor ; and then the latter will express bis
c )ncern for any words made use of by him in re-
ply, which may have been deemed unpleasant, us
there was no intention on his part, of saying any
thing offensive, his words being merely repelling
an attack made upon him, and this he would not
do to a person in any other situation than that of
General Bonaparte. But if the latter is determined
to dispute with the governor for endeavouring to
execute his orders, he sees little hope of a proper
imderstanding between them.**
On my return to Longwood, I mmutely ex-
.4 ▼OIOB WBOU n. HILBNA. 195
pbdned the above to Napoleon, both alone, and in
the presence df Count Bertrand. Napoleon smiled
contemptaoody at the idea of /us apologizing to
Sir Hudson Lowe.
9nL — Saw Napoleon in the morning. After I
had inquired into the state of his health, he enter-
ed upon the business of yesterday. ^' As this go-
vernor,** says he, ^ declares that he will not com-
municate the whole to Reade, but intends to re-
serve some future points for discussion, I shall
not see him, for I only agree to see Reade, in
Older to avoid the sight of the other ; and by re-
serving the points he speaks of, he might come up
again to-morrow or next day, and demand another
interview. If he wants to communicate let him
send his adjutant-general to Bertrand, or to Mon-
tholon, or to Las Cases, or Gourgaud, or to you ;
or send for one of them, and explain it himself; or
let him communicate the whole to Reade or to Sir
George Bingham, or somebody else ; and then I
will see the person so chosen. If he still insists
on seeing me, I will write myself in answer, ^ The
Emperor Napoleon will not see you, because the
last three times you were with him you insulted
lum, and he does not wish more communication
with you.* I well know that if we have another
interview there will be disputes and abuse : a sus-
picious gesture might produce I know not what.
H^ for his own sake, ought not to desire one,
136 A VOICfe FROM Bf. RBLIENA.
after the language which I applied to him the ladC
time. I told him, before the admimi, when he
said that he only did his duty, that so did the
hangman, but that one was not obliged to see
that hangman until the moment of execution.
a sono state tre scene. Scene vergognose ! I do
not wish to renew them. I know that my blood
will be heated. I will tell him that no power on
earth obliges a prisoner to see and debate with
his executioner; for his conduct has made him
such to me. He pretends that he acts according
to his instructions ; a government two thousand
leagues distant can do no more than point out
the general manner in which things must be con^
ducted, and must' leave a great discretionary
power, which he distorts and turns in the worst
possible manner, in order to torment me. A proof
that he is worse than his government is, that they
have sent out several things to make me comSattr-
able ; but he does nothing but torment, insult,
and render my existence as miserable as possible.
To complete the business, he writes letters full of
smoothness and sweetness, professing every re»
gard, which he afterwards sends home to make
the world believe that he is our best friend. I
want to avoid another scena with him. I never.
In the height of my power, made use of such lan-
guage to any man, as I was compelled to apply
to him. ^ It would have been unpardonable at the
▲ TOICB FBOM ST. HBLBNA. 1S7
ThuillerieA. I would sooner have a tooth drawn,
than have an interview with him. He has a bad
miflfliMi, and fulfils it badly. I do not think that
he is aware how much we hate and despise him ;
I should like him to know it. He suspects every
body, even his own staff are not free from it. You
see that he will not confide to Reade. Why does
he not go to Montholon or Las Cases, if he does
not like Bertrand?** I replied, that Sir Hudson
Lowe had said he could not repose confidence in
the fidelity of either of them, in reporting the pur-
port of his conversation. ^' Oh,** said he, '' he is
offended with Montholon about that letter, written
in August last, and with Las Cases, because he
not only writes the truth to a lady in London, but
tells it every where here.** I replied, " the gover-
nor has accused Count Las Cases of having
written many falsehoods respecting what has
passed here.** "Las Cases,** replied he, "would
not be blockhead enough to write lies, when he
was obliged to send the letters containing them
through his hands. He only writes the truth,
which that geolier does not wish to be known. I
am sure that he wants to tell me that some of my
generals are to be removed, and wishes to throw
the odium of sending them away upon me, by
leaving the choice to me. They would send you
away too, if they were not afraid you would do
some mischief in England, by telling what you
Vol. I. T
188 A YOICX FROM 8T. HBLSNA*
have seen. Their design, I believe, is to send
every body away who might be inclined to make
my life less disagreeable. Truly they have chosen
a pretty representative for Bathurst. I would
sooner have an interview with the corporal of the
guard, than with that galeriano. How different
it was with the admiral ! We used to converse to-
gether sociably, on different subjects, like friends.
But this man is only fit to oppress and insult those
whom misfortune has placed in his power."
After this, he conversed upon various subjects.
He made some observations upon the marriage of
the Princess Chariotte with Prince Leopold and
spoke in terms of praise of the latter, whom he
had seen at Paris during his reign.
According to his desire, I wrote an account of
what he had said to Sir Hudson Lowe ; avoiding,
however, to repeat the strongest of his expressions.
4th. — Sir Thomas Reade came up to my room
at Longwood, with a written p^)er from the go-
vernor, containing the new instructions which
the latter had received from England. I went to
Napoleon and announced him. He asked me, ^ if
he was in full possession of every thing?" I re-
plied, that he had told me so. He desired me to
introduce him. When I went back. Sir Hiomas
Reade told me that bis mission was not a vety
pleasant one, and that he hoped *^ Bonaparte
would not be offended with him,** and asked me
A'TOICB FAOM 8T. HBLENA. 19&
h€fW be should explain it to him. I told him how
to tetpress himself to this effect in Italian. We
tbea went into the garden where Napoleon was : I
iBtroduced him, and left them together. In a few
minntes. Napoleon called Count Las Cases, and
told him to translate aloud in French, the con-
tents of the paper, according as Reade repeated it.
When Reade came to my room on his return, he
Sttd that Napoleon had been very civil to him,
tad that so far from being offended, he had asked
him the news and laughed, and only observed (as
^e knight repeated in his Italian,) '' Piit mi si
ferseguiterdf meglio andrh e mostrerh al mondo che
rabbia de persecuzioni. Fra poco tempo mi si /e-
veranno tutti gli altriy e quakhe mattina nCam^
mazzerannor Sir Thomas then allowed me to
read the paper, the contents of which were as fol-
lows : " That the French who wished to remain
with General Bonaparte must sign the simple
form, which would be given to them of their wil-
lingness to submit to whatever restrictions might
be imposed upon General Bonaparte, without
making any remarks of their own upon it. Those
who refused, would be sent off directly to the
Cape of Good Hope. The establishment to be
reduced in number four persons ; those who re-
mained, were to consider themselves to be amen-
able to the laws, in the same manner as if they were
British subjects, especially to those which had been
140 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
framed for the safe custody of Geneml Bonaparte^
and declaring the aiding and assisting of him to
escape, felony. Any of them, abusing, reflecting
upon, or behaving ill to the governor, or the govern-
ment they were under, would be forthwith sent to
the Cape, where no facilities would be aflbrded for
their conveyance to Europe." It explained, also^
that it was not to be understood, that the obligar
tion was to be eternal on those who signed. There
was also a demand for 1 ,400/. paid for books, whidi
had been sent out. The whole was couched in
language of a highly peremptory nature. SirTho-
mas then told me that Count Bertrand was to go
the following day to Plantation House, and that
I might hint to him, that if he behaved himself
well, perhaps none but domestics would be sent
away, but that all depended upon his ^ good
behaviour r
5th. — ^AVhile walking down the park in the
morning, thinking of the occurrences of yesterday,
I heard a voice calling me. Turning about, I was
surprised to see the emperor, beckoning to, and
calling me. After he asked how I was, he said,
^^ Ebbene, hugiardo sempre questo govematore .
There was nothing in the intelligence, which he
said he could only communicate to myself, ^wiiich
might not have been made known through Ber-
trand, or any one else. But he thou^t that
he had an opportunity of insulting and grieving
A VOICB FROM 8T. HELENA. 141
mei which he eagerly embraced. He came up
here with his staffs just as if he were going to an*
noonce a wed^ng, with exultation and joy painted
cm his countenance, at the idea of having it in his
power to afflict me. He thought to plant a stih
in my heart, and could not deny himself the plea-
mre of witnessing and enjoying it personally.
Never has he given a greater proof of a bad mind,
than thus wishing to stab to the heart, one whom
nosfortunes had placed in his power.** He then
rq)eated some parts of the communication of yes-
terday, and observed that it ought to be sent to
thfsn in writing, as it was impossible for a French-
man to understand a communication in English,
by having heard it read only a few minutes. I took
the liberty of strongly recommending that matters
should be accommodated as much as possible ; as
I said I had reason to believe that the governor
was inclined to gi'ant that domestics should be
sent away, instead of any of the generals ; but that
if irritated, he might act otherwise. He replied,
^ Voi ragionate come un uomo liber o, but we are
not free ; we are in the power of a bojuy non cV
rimedio. They will send away the rest by de-
grees, and it is. as well for them to go now, as in a
little time. What advantage shall I gain by having
them here until the arrival of the next ship from
England, or until that animale finds out some
pretext to send them away. I would rather they
149 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
were all gone than to have four or five personli
trembling about me, having the dread of beiB|^
forced on board ship constantly hanging over their
heads. For, by that communication of yesterday;
they are placed entirely at his discretion. Let
him send every body away, plant sentinels at the
doors and windows, and send up nothing but
bread and water, I regard it not. My mind is
free. I am just as independent as when I com^
manded an army of six hundred thousand men t
as I told him the other day. This heart is as free
as when I gave laws to Europe. He wants them
to sign restrictions without knowing what they
are. No honest man would sign an obligation^
without first knowing what it was. But he wants
them to sign to whatever he likes to impose here*
after, and then, with lies always at command, he
will assert that he has changed nothing. He is
angry with Las Cases because he wrote to liis
friends that he was badly lodged and badly
treated. Was there ever heard of such tyranny?
He treats people in the most barbarous manner ;
heaps insults and injuries upon them, and thesa
wants to deprive them of the liberty oi complaint.
I do not,** continued he, ^^ think that Lord Liver*-
pool, or even Lord Castlereagh, would allow me
to be treated in the way I am. I believe that this
governor only writes to Lord Bathurst, to whom
he tells what he likes.**
A70IC1 FBOM 8T. HBLENA. 14S
' Sr Hndfion Lowe signified to me yesterday,
Ast be had done every thing in his power to prove
(aftjsr my commnnication to him) that there was
nothing vindictive in his conduct towards General
Bonaparte ; but that not having been met^ he was
better pleased to leave matters to their natural
course, and to the judgment of the authority to
wbidi they had been submitted ; and that I might
mo0t distinctly contradict to General Bonaparte,
ibBt he had laid his hand upon his sword ; that
wttnesses could prove it ; that none but a confirm-
ed villain could think of doing so agmnst an un-
ftrmed man. That with respect to the instructions
he had received, and his manner of making them
known ; never having regarded General Bona-
parte*8 opinion in any point, whether as to matter
or manner, as an oracle by which to regulate his
judgment, he was not disposed to think less favor-
ably of the instructions, or of his mode of exe-
cuting them ; on the contrary, that Bonaparte was,
he feared insensible to any delicacy of proceed-
ing ; so that with him^ one must either be a blind
admirer of his frailties, or a yielding instrument to
work with, a mere slave in thought to him. Other-
wise, he who has business which opposes his views^
must make up his mind to every species of ob-
loquy. He added^ that he had sent Sir Thomas
Reade with his communication ; and concluded
by intimating^ that before Genei^ Bonaparte pro-
144 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA.
posed any other style of appellation, he should
himself drop the title of emperor, and if he wished
to assume a feigned name, why did he not propose
one?
Count Bertrand went to Plantation Hoose^
where he learnt that Piontkowski and three rf
the domestics were to be sent away.
9th. — Sir Hudson Lowe came up to Longwood,
accompanied by Colonel Wynyard. ITiey went
into Captain Poppleton's room, where they ap-
peared to be very busily occupied for two hours.
During this time the governor frequently came
out, and walked up and down before the door,
with one of his arms elevated, and the end of a
finger in the angle of his mouth, as was his general
custom when in thought. When they had finished^
a sealed packet was given to Captain Poppleton,
to be delivered to Count Bertrand; after which
his excellency came to me, and after some conver-
sation, asked if I thought that any copies of Mon-
tholon's letter to him had been distributed ? I re-
plied, that it was veiy probable ; as there was no
secret made of its contents ; and that the French^
as he well knew publicly avowed their intention
and desire to circulate copies of it. He asked
me if I thought that the commissioners had got
a copy. I replied, " very likely.** He appeared
very uneasy at this at first ; but afterwards said,
that he had shewn the letter to them himself.
A VOICB:FROM 8T. HELEN A« 145
He ihen asked me if I had got a copy. I replied.
I bad. This alarmed his excellency much ; who
demanded to see it^ and said that it would be fe^
Umy to send it to England. After some discussion
upon the subject, during which I observed, that,
considering my situation, and my being employed
as I was between Longwood and Plantation
House, I could not be ignorant of the principal
part of what was passing. His excellency said,
true ; and that it was my duty to tell him every
thing that occurred between General Bonaparte
and myself. I replied, that if there was any plot
for his escape, or correspondence tending to it, or
any thing suspicious, I should conceive it my duty
to give him notice of it ; also if any thing of poli-
tical importance was uttered by Napoleon, or
anecdote, clearing up any part of his history, or
which might prove serviceable to him, I would
make him acquainted with it ; but that I could
not think of telling him every thing, especially
any thing abusive or injurious, that passed be-
tween us, or whatever might tend to generate bad
blood, or increase the difference already unhap-
pily existing between them, unless ordered so to
do. Sir Hudson at first agreed that it would not
be proper to tell him any abuse of himself ; but
immediately afterwards said, that it was essential
for me to repeat it ; that one of the means which
General Bonaparte had of escaping^ was vilifying
Vol. I. u
146 A YOICB FROM 8T. HBLBNA.
him ; that abtising and le ssening the character of
the ministry^ was an underhand and a vile way of
mdeavouring to escape from the island; and there-
fore, that it was incumhent on me to communicate
every thing of the kind instantly. That as to
himself, he did not care ahout his abuse, and
would never be actuated by vindictive feelmgs
towards him ; but that he wished to know every
thing : that nothing ought to be made known or
communicated in England, except through him ;
and that he himself only communicated with Lord
Bathurst. Not perfectly agreeing with his excel-
lency's sophistry, especially when I reflected upon
the conversation which I had had with him under
the trees at Plantation House two days after his
last interview with Napoleon; I replied, that it
did not appear that all the members of his ma-
jesty's government were of a similar opinion, as I
had received letters from official persons, with a
request to communicate circumstances relative to
Bonaparte, and returning thanks for my former
letters, which had been shewn to some of the ca-
binet ministers. The governor was excessively
uneasy at this, and observed that those persons
had nothing to do with Bonaparte ; that the se-
cretary of state, with whom he corresponded*
was the only one who ought to know any thing
about the matter ; that he did not even communi-
cate what passed to the Duke of York. That
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 147
none of the ministers excepting Lord Bathui*st,
ought to know what passed ; and that all commu-
nication, even to his lordship ought to go through
him, and him only. His excellency then obsei-ved,
that my correspondence ought to be subject to the
same restrictions as those on the attendants of Ge-
neral Bonaparte. I replied, that if he was not sa-
tisfied with the manner in which matters stood, I
was ready to resign the situation I held, and go
on board ship, as soon as he liked, as I was deter-
mined not to give up any of my rights as a British
officer. Sir Hudson said, that there was no ne-
cessity for this ; that it would be very easy to ar-
range matters ; and concluded by observing that it
was a business which required consideration, and
that he would renew the subject on another day.
lOM. — Had some conversation with Napoleon
in his dressing-room, during which I endeavoured
to convince him that Sir Hudson Lowe might in
reality have intended to offer civilities at times
when his conduct was supposed to be insulting ;
that his gestures sometimes indicated intentions
far from liis thoughts ; and particularly explained
to him that Sir Hudson Lowe's having laid his
hand upon his sword, proceeded entirely from an
involuntary habit which he had of seizing his
sabre, and raising it between his side and his arm,
(which I endeavoured to shew him by gestures) ;
that he had himself expressed to me that none but
I4d A VOtCB FROM 9T. HELENA.
ai confirmed villain would attempt to draw npon
an Dnarmed man. "Per i ragazzi doitore^ re-
plied Napoleon, "se non i hoja, almeno ne ha
taria. Has he shewn you the new restrictions
he has sent to us?" I replied, that he had not
said a word about them. " Ah^ answered the
emperor, " son certo che ahbta qualche cosa sinistra
in vista."
This evening Count Bertrand came to my room
in order that I should assist him in translating
some part ofthe new restrictions,* which were, he
s^d of a nature so outrageous to the emperor^
that he was induced to flatter himself with the
idea that he had not understood them. They
were those parts where Napoleon was prohibited
from going off the high road ; from going on the
path leading to Miss Mason's ; from entering into
any house, and from conversing with any person
whom he might meet in his rides or walks. Pre*
pared as I was by the governor's manner, and by
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. (14P
tbe count had gone, I told the colonel what he
wanted, and asked him if I was right in the coiw
straction which I had given, which I explained to
him. Colonel Wynyard replied, that I was per-
fisctly correct.
IIM. — Sir Hudson Lowe sent for me to town.
Breakfasted in company with him at Sir Thomas
Readers ; after which he told rae that he had
something particular to say, hut that tbe place
was not a proper one, and another time would do.
Shewed to him and to Sir Thomas, the translar- *
tion which I had made of those points in the re-
striction, of which Count Bertrand had been
doubtful. Sir Hudson observed, that I had trans-
lated one part rather too strongly, viz. ** will be
required to be strictly adhered to,** but that I had
given a perfectly correct explanation of the sense.
That the French were not to go down into the
valley, or separate from the high road, as space'
was given them to exercise only to preserve their
health. That they were not to speak to any per-
son, or enter any house ; and that there needed no .
further explanation, as every restriction upon Ge-
neral Bonaparte equally applied to his followers.
He concluded by observing, that I had better
take an opportunity of telling Bonaparte that I
had heard the governor say that the orders origi-
nated with the Britisli government, and that he
150 A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA.
was merely the person who carried them into exe-
cution^ and not the framer.
12th. — ^Napoleon, after asking many questions
concerning a trial which took place yesterday, at
which I had appeared as an evidence, spoke about
the new restrictions, and observed that Bertrand
could not be brought to think that he had rightly
comprehended them, and asked me my opinion^
which I explained to him as briefly and delicately
as I could. When I had finished, ** Che rahhia
di persecuzioni^ exclaimed Napoleon. I observed,
that I had heard the governor say yesterday, that
the orders had originated with the British govern-
ment, and that he was merely the person who
carried them into execution, and not the framer.
Napoleon looked at me in a most incredulous
manner, smiled, and gave me in a good-natured
manner a slap in the face.
A quantity of plate sent to town to-day, and
sold in the presence of Sir Thomas Reade to
Mr. Balcombe, who was ordered by Reade to
pay a certain sum an ounce for it, and the money
which it produced, viz. about two hundred and
forty pounds, was to lie in Balcombe*s hands, and
to be drawn for in small sums, as their necessities
required.
Two letters anived from Sir Hudson Lowe for
Bertrand. I did not see their contents, but was
A TOICB FROM 8T. HELENA. 151
informed that one related to the new restrictions,
and contained assertions that but little alteration
had taken place in them, and that very little
change in the limits had been ordered. The
other a reprimand to Count Las Cases for hav-
ing presumed to g^ve Mr. Balcombe, (the pur-
veyor), an order on the count*s banker in Lon-
don, without having first asked the governor s per-
mission, and also containing a demand for the price
of the books sent out by government for General
Bonaparte^s use. Notwithstanding this, it ap-
peared that Las Cases had acquainted the gover-
nor with his intentions, and obtained his consent,
which his excellency had forgotten, and detained
Las Cases' order when presented to him by Mr.
Balcombe.
13th. — Napoleon in his bath. Complained of
headach, and general uneasiness ; and was a
little feverish. He railed against the island, and
observed, that he could not walk out when the
sun was to be seen, for half an hour, without get-
ting a headach, in consequence of the want of
shade. " Veramente^ said he, ^' it requires great
resolution and strength of mind to support such
an existence as mine in this horrible abode. Every
day fresh colpi di stllo al cuore da questo bya, che
ha piacere a far di male. It appears to be his
only amusement. Daily he imagines modes of
annoying,* insulting, and making me undergo fresh
152 A TOICB FROM ST. HBIJBNA^
priTations. He wants to shorten my life by daily
irritations. By his last restrictions, I am not per--
mitted to speak to any one I may meet. To peo»
pie under sentence of death, this is not denied,
A man may be ironed^ confined in a cell, and
kept on bread and water, but the liberty of speak-
ing is not denied to him. It is a piece of tyranny
unheard of, except in the instance of the man with
the iron mask. In the tribunals of the inquisi-
tion a man is heard in his own defence ; but I
have been condemned unheard, and without trial,
in violation of all laws divine and human ; de-
tained as a prisoner of .war in a time of peace ;
separated from my wife and child, violently trans-
ported here, where arbitrary and hitherto unknown .
restrictions are imposed upon me ; extending even
to the privation of speech. I am sure,** con-
tinued he, " that none of the ministers except
Lord Bathurst would give their consent to this
last act of tyranny. His great desire of secrecy
shews that he is afraid of his conduct being made
known, even to the ministers themselves. Instead
of all this mystery and espionage, they would do
better to treat me in such a manner as not to be
afraid of any disclosures being made. You re-
collect what I said to you when this governor told
me in presence of the admiral, that he would send
any complaints we had to make to England, and
get them published in the journals. You see
A VOlCfi FROM ST. HELENA* 153
nofw, that he is in fear and trembling lest Mon-
tholoifg letter should find its way to England, or
be known to the inhabitants here. They profess
in England to furnish all my wants^ and in fact
they send out many things : this man then comes
out, reduces every thing, obliges me to sell my
plate in order to purchase those necessaries of life
which he either denies altogether, or supplies in
quantities so small as to be insufficient ; imposes
daily new and arbitrary restrictions ; insults me
and my followers ; concludes by attempting to
deny me the faculty of speech, and then has the
impudence to write, that he has changed nothing.
He says, that if strangers come to visit me, they
cannot speak to any of my suite, and wishes that
they should be presented by him. If my son
came to the island, and it were required that he
should be presented by him, I would not see him.
You know," continued he, " that it was more a
trouble than a pleasure for me to receive many of
the strangers who arrived ; some of whom merely
came to gaze at me, as they would at a curious
beast; but still it was consoling to have the right
to see them, if I pleased.**
Examined his gums, which were spongy, pale,
and bled on the slightest touch. Recommended
him to use a larger quantity than ordinary of ve-
getable and acescent food, and acid gargle, and
exercise.
VOL. I. X
154 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
14th. — ^The paper sent by the governor to
Longwood, containing an acknowledgment from
the French of their willingness to submit to such
restrictions as had, or might be imposed upon
Napoleon Bonaparte, was signed by all, and sent
to Sir Hudson Lowe. The only alteration made
by them, was the substituting of " /' Empereur
NapoUon^ for ^ Napoleon Bonaparte^
15th. — The papers sent back by the governor,
to Count Bertrand, with a demand that Napoleon
Bonaparte should be inserted in the place of
r Empereur Napoleon.
Saw Napoleon, who told me that he had ad-
vised them not to sign it, but rather to quit the
island, and go to the Cape.
Sir Hudson Lowe came up to Longwood. I
informed him, that I believed the French would
not sign the declaration worded in the manner he
wished. " I suppose,*' replied his excellency,
*^ that they are very glad of it, as it will give them
a pretext to leave General Bonaparte, which I
shall order them to do.** He then sent for Count
Bertrand, Count Las Cases, and the remainder of
the officers (except Piontkowski), with whom he
had a long conversation. At eleven o'clock at
night, a letter was sent by Sir Hudson J^we to
Count Bertrand, in which he informed him, that in
consequence of the refusal of the French officers
to sign the declaration with the words. Napoleon
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 159
Bonaparte^ they and the domestics must all de-
part for the Cape of Good Hope^ instantly^ in a
ship which was ready for their reception ; with
the exception of a cook, maltre d*hdtel, and one
or two of the valets ; that in consideration of the
advanced state of Countess Bertrand*s pregnancy,
her husband would be permitted to remain until
she was able to bear the voyage.
The prospect of separation from the emperor
caused great grief and consternation among the
inmates of Longwood, who, without the know-
ledge of Napoleon, waited upon Captain Popple-
ton after midnight, and signed the obnoxious
paper, (with the exception of Santini, who re-
fused to sign any in which he was not styled
VEmpereur)^ which was transmitted to the go-
vernor.
16M. — Napoleon sent Novarre for me at half
past six in the morning. On my arrival he looked
very earnestly at me, and said, laughing, "You
look as if you had been drunk last night.** I re-
plied, no ; but that I had dined at the camp, and
sat up very late. " Quante bottiglie tre F he add-
ed, holding up three of his fingers. He then com-
municated the following to me, viz. that Count
Bertrand had had a conversation with the gover-
nor yesterday, which partly related to him. That
he had sent for me, in order that I might explain
to the governor his real sentiments on tlie subject ;
156 A VOICB FROM ST. HELBNA.
and ** here," continued he, taking np a piece of
paper, in which were contained words, in his owu
hand-writing, of a meaning similar to the paper
which he subsequently gave to me, is "what I
have written, and which I intend to send to him.**
He then read it out aloud, asking me every now
and then if I comprehended him, and said, ^ You
will take a copy of this to the governor, and in-
form him that such are my intentions. If he asks
you why it is not signed by me, you will say, that
it was unnecessary, because I have read it out and
explained it to you from my own hand-writing.*
After observing that the name of Napoleon was
troppo ben conosciutOy and might bring back recol-
lections which it were better should be dropped^
he desired me to propose his being called Colond
Meuron, who had been killed at his side at Areola^
or Baron Duroc ; that as colonel was a title denot*
iug militaiy rank, it might perhaps give umbrage^
and therefore probably it would be better to adopt
that of Buron Duroc, which was the lowest feodal
title. " If the governor,** continued he, " con-
sents, let him signify to Bertrand that he acqui-
esces in one of them, and such shall be adopted.
It will prevent many difficulties and smoothen
the way. Your eyes," continued be, "look very
much like those of a man who had been commit
ting a debauch last night.** I explained 40 him
that it was the efteet of the wind i and dost. He
▲ VOICE FROM ST. HELEl^A. 157
then rl^ng the bell, called St. Detiis^ took the
paper .wliich he had copied from him, made me
read it aloud, underlined some passages with his
own band, gave it to me, and gently pushing me
oat of the room in a smiling manner, told me to
go to the governor^ and tell him that such were
Ids intentions.
The paper was as follows :*
^ n me revient que dans la conversation qui a
en lien entre le G6n^ral Lowe et plusiears de ces
Messieurs, il s*est dit des choses sur ma position
qui ne sont pas conformes k mes pens^.
^ «rai abdiqu6 dans les mains des repr^sentans
de la nation et au profit de mon fils, je me suis
port^ avec oonfiance en Angleterre pour y vivre \k,
on en Am^rique, dans la plus profonde retraite,
et sous le nom d'un colonel tu6 k mes c6t6sy,resolu
derester Stranger i toute affaire politique de quelque
nature qtCelle puisse itre.
" Arriv6 k bord du Northumberland, on me dit
que j*6tois prisonnier de guerre, qu*on me trans-
portait an dd^ de la ligne et que je m*appellais
le G6n6ral Bonaparte. Je dus porter ostensible-
ment mon titre d*empereur en opposition au tit re
de G^n^ral Bonaparte qu'on voulait m'imposer.
^^ n y a sept on huit mois le Comte de Montho-
lon proposa de pourvoir k des petites difficult^s
* Th# tnuulAtion will be found in tbe Appendix^ No. VI
158 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
qui naissent k chaque instant en adoptant un nom
ordinaire. Uamiral croit devoir en 6crire h Lon-
dres, cela en reste \k.
^^ On me donne aujourd'hui an nom .qui a oet
avantage qu*il ne pr^juge pas le pass6, mais qui
n'est pas dans la forme de la soci6t6. Je suis taU"
jours dispose A prendre un nom qui entre dans Fusage
ordinaire^ et r6it6re, que quand on jugera k propos
de faire cesser ce cruel s^jour, je suis dans la ra-
lont^ de rester Stranger d la politique quelque chose
qui se passe dans le monde. Voila ma pens^e, toute
autre chose qui auroit 6t6 dite sur cette mati^re
ne le se seroit pas."
I proceeded immediately to Plantation House,
where I delivered the paper to the governor, and
made known to him the conversation which I had
had. His excellency appeared much surprised,
and said, that it was a very important communi-
cation, and one which required consideration.
After I had made a deposition, the governor wrote
on a sheet of paper the following words : " The
governor will lose no time in forwarding to the
British government the paper presented to him
this day by Doctor O'Meara. He thinks, how-
ever, that it would be more satisfactory if it was
signed by the person in whose name it was pre-
sented. The governor does not, however, intend
to cast by this the slightest doubts upon the au-
thenticity or validity of the paper, '••^''^ •^ to the
A TOICB FROM 8T. HBLBNA. 109
wards or spirit, but merely that it would be better
to send it in a form to which no objection could be
oflfered. The governor will consider attentively
whether the tenor of his instructions will permit
him to adopt either of the names proposed. He
would naturally, however, be desirous to defer the
use of them in any public communication, until
he obtains the sanction of his government for that
purpose. The governor will be ready at any time
to confer with General Bertrand on the subject.
TUs communication he desired me to shew to
Napoleon, and added, '^ indeed it is no great
matter if you leave it with him.** He then asked
me if I thought Napoleon would sign it. I re-
plied, perhaps he might, particularly if he (Sir
Hudson) would authorize him to use either of the
names in question. This, however, he said, he
could not yet decide upon. After this, his excel-
lency told me that I must have no communication
whatever with any official persons in England
about Bonaparte ; therefore he insisted that I
would not mention a word to them of the proposal
which I had just made ; that he had written to
Lord Bathui*st about me, and that there was no
doubt I should do well; that my situation was
one of great confidence, and that none of the mi-
nisters, except the one he communicated with,
ought to know any thing about what passed at
St. Helena. After which he desired me to go back
1^60 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
and endeayour to get Napoleon to sign the paper.
On my return, I explained to Napoleon the go-
vernor's reply and wishes. He observed^ he bad
not intended that the paper should be left with
the governor, but merely read and shewn to him,
and then returned, as had taken place once before.
That he wished to communicate his sentiments to
him, in order to know if he were inclined to meet
him half way. That after communications with
Bertrand, a proper letter would be written, and
that would be the time to sign. He concluded
by directing me to get back the paper.
Went accordingly to Plantation House, and ac-
quainted Sir Hudson Lowe that I was directed to
bring back the paper, which he returned to m^
after some expression of surprise on the part of
the governor, and a hint, tliat such a demand had
been caused by shuffling or want of sincerity on
the part of Bonaparte, or bad advice from some of
his generals. He then asked my opinion whether
*^ Count Montholon imagined himself secure of
remaining in the island because he had signed the
declaration ?'* He desired me to say that apply
ing to the British government, was not asking pei>
mission for General Bonaparte to change his nam^
but merely a demand whether they would recog-
nise such a change. Returned the paper to Na-
poleon, and explained the govemor*s sentiments
He observed^ that if Sir Hudson Lowe would
A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA. 161
make known to Bertrand, or even to me, that he
authorized the change of name, and would address
him accordhigly, he (Napoleon) would write a
letter^ declaring that he would adopt one of the
names which had been proposed, which he would
ngn and send to the governor. ^ La metd de* dis-
gUsH che ho pravato qui^* said he, ^' has arisen from
that title." I observed, that many were surpiised
at his having retained the title after abdication.
He replied, ^ I abdicated the throne of France,
bat not the title of emperor. I do not call myself
Napoleon, emperor of France, but the emperor
Napoleon. Sovereigns generally retain their titles.
Thus Charles of Spain retains the title of king
and majesty, after having abdicated in favour of
his son. If I were in England, I would not call
myself emperor. But they want to make it ap-
pear that the French nation had not a right to
make me its sovereign. If they had not a right to
make me emperor, they were equally incapable of
making me general. A man, when he is at the
head of a few, during the disturbances of a coun-
try, is called a chief of rebels ; but when he suc-
ceeds, effects great actions, and exalts his country
and himself from being styled chief of rebels, he is
called general, sovereign, &c. It is only success
which makes him such. Had he been unfortunate,
he would be still chief of rebels, and perhaps pe-
* " One half of the yexations that I have experienced here."
Vol. I. Y
162 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
rish on a scaffold. Your nation,** continued he,
" called Washington a leader of rebels for a long
time, and refused to acknowledge either him or
the constitution of his country ; but his successes
obliged them to change, and acknowledge both.
It is success which makes the great man. It
would appear truly ridiculous in me,** added he,
'^ were it not that your ministers force me to it,
to call myself emperor, situated as I am here, and
would remind one of those poor wretches in Beth-
lem, in London, who fancy themselves kings amidst
their chains and straw.**
He then spoke in terms of great praise of Counts
Bertrand, Montholon, Las Cases, and the rest of
his suite, for the heroic devotion which they had
manifested, and the proofs of attachment to his
person which they had given, by remaining with
him contrary to his desire. "They had,** continued
he, *' an excellent pretext to go, first, by refusing
to sign Napoleon Bonaparte, and next, because I
ordered them not to sign. But, no ; they would
have signed tiranno Bonaparte^ or any other op-
probrious name, in order to remain with me in
misery here, rather than return to Europe, where
they might live in splendour. The more your go-
vemment tries to degrade me, so much more re-
spect will they pay to me. They pride themselves
in paying me more respect now than when I was
in the height of my glory.**
^ Pare^ said he then, ** che questo govematore
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 163
(i Hato sempre spiane. He is fit to be commissary
of police in a small town.** I asked him, which
he thought had been the best minister of police,
Sayary or Fouch6, adding, that both of them had
a bad reputation in England. ^Savary/* smd
he, ^ is not a bad man ; on the contrary, Savary is
a roan of a good heart, and a brave soldier. You
have seen him weep. He loves me with the affec-
tion of a son. The English, who have been in
France, will soon undeceive your nation. Fouch^
is a miscreant of all colonics, a priest, a terrorist,
and one who took an active paii; in many bloody
scenes in the revolution. He is a man who can
worm all your secrets out of you with an air of
calmness and of unconcern. He is very rich,*
added he, " but his riches were badly acquired.
There was a tax upon gambling-houses in Paris,
but, as it was an infamous way of gaining money,
I did not like to profit by it, and therefore ordered,
that the amount of the tax should be appropriated
to an hospital for the poor. It amounted to some
millions, but Fouch6, who had the collecting of
the impost, put many of them into his own poc-
kets, and it was impossible for me to discover the
real yearly sum total."
I observed to him, that it had excited consider-
able surprise, that during the height of his gloiy,
he had never given a dukedom in France to any
person, although he had created many dukes and
164 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
princes elsewhere. He replied, " because it would
have produced great discontent amongst the peo-
ple. If, for example, I had made one of my
marshals Duke of Bourgogne, instead of giving
him a title derived from one of my victories, it
would have excited great alaim in Bourgogne, as
they would have conceived that some feodal rights
and territory were attached to the title, which the
duke would claim ; and the nation hated the old
nobility so much, that the creation of any rank
resembling them would have given universal dis-
content, which I, powerful as I was, dared not
venture upon. I instituted the new nobility to
^eraser the old, and to satisfy the people, as the
greatest part of those I created had sprung from
themselves, and every private soldier had a right
to look up to the title of duke. I believe that I
acted wrong in doing even this, as it lessened that
system of equality which pleased the people so
much ; but, if I had created dukes with a French
title, it would have been considered as a revival
of the old feodal privileges, with which the nation
had been cursed so long.''
His gums were in nearly the same state as be-
fore ; complained of his general health, and add-
ed, that he felt convinced that, under all the cir-
cumstances, he could not last long. 1 advised, as
remedies, exercise and the diet 1 had formerly re-
commended. He observed, that he had put in
practice the diet, and the other remedies, but as to
A VOICB FROM ST. H£L£NA« 165
taking exercise (which was the most essential) th6
restrictions presented an insurmountable obstacle.
He asked many anatomical questions, particularly
about the heart, and observed. Credo che il mio
cuore non hatte mai^ non Vho sentito mat hattere.*
He then desired me to feel his heart. I tried for
wme time, but could not perceive any pulsation,
which I attributed to obesity. I had before ob-
served that in him the circulation was very slow,
rarely exceeding fifty eight or sixty in a minute,
and most frequently fifty-four.
I8/&. — Captain Piontkowski, Rousseau, San-
tini, and Archambaud, cadet, were the persons
named by Sir Hudson Lowe to be removed from
Longwood* Count Montholon desired me to in-
form the governor, that the emperor did not wish
to separate the brothers Archambaud, which more-
over would totally disorganize the carriage, and
must consequently deprive him of the little means
he had of taking exercise, as the governor was
aware, that in such a place as St. Helena, where
the roads were so dangerous, it was very necessary
to have careful drivers. He added, that if the
choice of those who were to go were left to Na-
poleon, he would fix upon Rousseau, Santini, and
Bernard, who was a useless subject, and much
given to intoxication, or Gentilini, as he thought
^ "I iJUnk thai my heart does not beat ; I have aerer felt it
166 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
that it would be great cruelty to separate two
brothers.
Communicated this to Sir Hudscm Lowe, who
replied, that the choice was not left to General
Bonaparte; that the servants were to be taken
from Longwood, and not from Count Bertrand;
and moreover, that the orders were to send away
Frenchmen^ and not natives of other countries^
That Bernard was a Flamand, and Gentilini an
Italian, and therefore did not come within the
strict application of his orders ; that if Santini had
not refused to sign the paper, he would not have
accepted him as one, as he was a Corsican, and
not a Frenchman. He had no objection however,
that all the Frenchmen in General Bonaparte*s
service should draw lots. These circumstances
he desired I might impress upon General Bona-
parte's muid. He added, that, as by his instruo-
tions the choice was left to him, he would give
written directions to Captain Poppleton to send
away Piontkowski, and both of the Archambauds,
if Rousseau remained, or one of them, if Rous-
seau were to go. He then directed me to ask if
he were to expect any further communication re-
specting the change of name, as the vessel contain-
ing his despatches on the subject would sail for
England in the evening.*
* The only reply which Hia Majesty's aiinisten oondesoended
to make to this proposal was contained in a acurriloius artida m
A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA. 167
On my return to Longwood, commanicated
thii to Napoleon : who replied, ** Has the gover-
nor it in his power to authorize the change ; in the
note he sent, the contrary appears. I answered,
that I knew nothing more than what I had already
communicated. " Then,** said he, ''before any
farther steps are taken, let him reply positively
whether he is authorized or not. Si o nor In-
formed him of his excellency's opinion and deci-
sion relative to the domestics who were to leave
St. Helena. ^ Santini not a Frenchman ?** said he,
^ Doctor, you cannot be imbecile enough not to
see that this is a pretext to convey an insult to
me. AU Corsicans are Frenchmen. By taking
away my drivers, he wants to prevent me from
taking a little carriage-exercise.**
19M. — ^Piontkowski, Santini, Rousseau, and Ar-
chambaud the younger, sent by order of Sir Hud-
son Lowe to town in order to embark. Santini had
a pension of fifty pounds, Archambaud and Rous-
seau twenty-five each, annually settled upon them ;
Piontkowski had also a pension and a letter of
recommendation. On embarkation, their persons
the Quarterly Review, No. XXXII. which Sir Hudson Lowe took
care should be sent to Longwood as soon as a copy had reached the
island. I think that I am justified in attributing the article alluded
to, to some ministerial person, as the transaction was known only to
officers in their employment, and to the establishment at Longwood,
and it is evident that the persons composing the latter, could not
have been the authors of it.
168 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLENA.
and baggage were searched by Captain MaunaeH,
and the prevost Serjeant, lliey sailed ill the
evening for the Cape. Piontkowski was stripped
to the skin by Captain MaunselL
Communicated to Sir Hudson Lowe Napoleon^s
last expressions concerning the change of name^
who replied, " I believe that it is in my power to
approve of it." I then recommended him to see
Count Bertrand upon the subject, and his exeeU
lency proceeded to Hut*s Gate accordingly.
20th. — Count and Countess Bertrand and family
moved from Hut*s Gate to Longwood.
2\st — ^Dined at Plantation House in company
with the Russian and Austrian commissioners,
the botanist, and Captain Gor. They generally ex-
pressed great dissatisfaction at not having yet seen
Napoleon. Count Balmaine in particular ob-
served that they (the commissioners) appeared to
be objects of suspicion ; that had he been aware
of the manner in which they should have been
treated, he would not have come out. That the
Emperor Alexander had great interest in prevent-
ing the escape of Napoleon, but that he wished
him to be well treated, and with that respect due
to him : for which reason he (Count Balmaine) had
only asked to see him as a private person and not
officially as commissioner. That they should be
objects of ridicule in Europe, as soon as it was
known they had been so many months in St. He-
lena, without ever once seeing the individual, to
A TOIOK PROM 8T« HBLKNA* 169
asoertain whdse presence was the sole object of
ibdr mission. That the goveraor alvrays replied
to their questions thiat Bonaparte had refused to
receive any person whatsoever. The botanist held
langoage of a similar tendency^ and remarked, that
Ltmgwood was ^^ le dernier sSjour du monde^^* and
m his opinion the worst part of the island.
'22nd- — Sir Hudson Lowe sent for me, and ob-
served that the commissioners seemed to have paid
me much attention ; that he ^ould think nothing
of their speaking as long as they had done to me,
to any other person, but that it had an appearance
as if they wished something to be conveyed to
General Bonapai^te, and advised me to be very
cautious in my conversations with them. He also
informed me that Count Bertrand had oonfirmed
to him every communication that I had made re-
lative to the change of name.
23rd. — ^Napoleon indisposed : one of his cheeks
considerably tumefied. Recommended fomenta*
tion and steaming the part affected, which he put
in practice. Recommended also the extraction
of a carious tooth, and renewed the advice I had
given on many previous occasions, particularly
relative to exercise, as soon as the reduction of
the swelling permitted it; also a continuance of
diet chiefly vegetable, with fiiiits.
''There is either a furious wind,** replied he,
• " The worst abode in the world."
VOL. I. Z
170 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
•
^^ with fog, which gives me a swelled face when I
go out, or when that is wanting, there is a snn
which scorches my brains (cV un sole che mi brucia
il cervello) for want of shade. They continue me
purposely in the worst part of the island. When
I was at the Briars, I bad at least the advantage
of a shady walk and a mild climate ; mais id an
arrivera au, hut qtion se propose plus vite^ conti-
nued he. ^^ Have you seen lo shvrro Siciliano f^
I replied that Sir Hudson Lowe had informed me
that he had written to England an account of his
proposal to assume an incognito name. ^ Non
dice altro che hugie^ said Napoleon. *' It is his
system. Lying,** added he, **is not a national
vice of the English, but this ***** has all the
vices of the little petty states of Italy."
Desired me to endeavour to get him un fauteuil
de maladcy which I communicated to the governor^
who returned for answer that he would order one
to be made, as no such article was to be found
upon the island.
26th. — ^Napoleon out in the carriage for the
first time for a considerable period. Observed to
me afterwards that he had followed my prescrip*
tion. His face much better. The dentes sapientiie of
the upper jaw were loose and carious. Inquired
if there was any news ? I replied that we were
in daily expectation of hearing the result of Lord
Exmouth*s expedition, and asked his opinion re-
A rmcn FROM ST. HELENA. 171
lative to the probability of success. He replied
that he thought it would succeed^ especially if the
fleet took and destroyed as many olf their vessels
as th^ could^ then anchored opposite the town^
and did not allow a single ship or vessel, not even
a fishing-boat, to enter or go out. '^ Continue that
for a short time," added he, ^^ and the dey will sub-
mit, or else the canaille will revolt and murder
him, and afterwards agree to any terms you like.
But no treaty will be kept by them. It is a disgrace
to the powers of Europe to allow so many nests of
robbers to exist. Even the Neapolitans could put
a stop to it, instead of allowing themselves to be
robbed. They have upwards of fifty thousand
seamen in the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily,
and with their navy, they might easily prevent
a single Barbary ship from stirring out.** I ob-
served that the Neapolitans were so great cowards
at sea, that the Algerines had the utmost contempt
for them. ^^ They are cowards by land as well
as by sea,** replied the emperor, " but that might
be remedied by proper officers and discipline.
At Amiens, I proposed to your government to
unite with me, either to entirely destroy those nests
of pirates, or at least to destroy their ships and
fortresses, and make them cultivate their country
and abandon piracy. But your ministers would
not consent to it, owing to a mean jealousy of
the Americans, with whom the barbarians were
.172 A VOICE FKOM ST. RBUUfA^.
at war. I wanted to annihilate them^ thcmgbit
did not concern me much, as tbey geaeraUy .nen
spected my flag, and carried on a large tradq vntik
Marseilles." I asked him if he thought it woukL
be advisable for Lord Exmouth to disembarik ;hia^
marines and seamen, and attack the town of Air
giers. ^* Oh que non^ replied he, " if he has but
a small force, he will get half his men killed hj
the canagUe in the houses and batteries ; and it is
not worth sending a large one, unless you are de^
termined to destroy their power altogether."
After this, the conversation turned upon the nar
tional debt and the great weight of taxes in £^g«^
land. Napoleon professed himself doubtful that
the English could now continue to manufacture
goods so as to be able to sell them at the same
price as those made in France, in consequence of
the actual necessaries of life being so much dearer
in England than in France. He professed his
disbelief that the nation could support the im-
mense weight of taxes, the dearness of provisions^
and the extravagance of a bad administration.
" When I was in France," continued he, * with
four times the extent of territory, and four times
the population I never could have raised one half
of your taxes. How the English popolazzo bear
it, I cannot conceive. The French would not
have suffered one fourth of them. Notwithstanding
your great successes," continued he, " which are
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 173
indeed almost incredible^ and to which accident^
and perhaps destiny^ have much contributed, I do
BOt: &ink that you are yet out of the scrape :
though you have the world at command, I do not
bdieve that you will ever be able to get over your
debt. Your great commerce has kept you up ;
bat that will fail when you shall no longer be able
to. undersell: the . manufacturers of other nations,
who are rapidly improving. A few years will shew
if I am right. The worst thing England has ever
done,* continued he, ^^ was that of endeavouring
to make herself a great military nation. In at-
tempting that^ England must always be the slave
of Russia, Austria, or Prussia, or at least subser-
vient to some of them ; because you have not a
popdlation sufficiently numerous to combat on the
continent with France, or with any of the powers
I have named, and must consequently hire men
from some of them ; whereas, at sea, you are so
superior; your sailors are so much better, that
you can always command the others, with safety
to yourselves and with little comparative expense.
Your soldiers have not the requisite qualities for
a military nation. They are not equal in address,
activity, or intelligence to the French. When
they get from under the fear of the lash, they ob^y
nobody. In a retreat they cannot be managed :
and if they meet with wine, they are so many
devils (tanti diavolij, and adieu to subordination.
174 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
I saw the retreat of Moore, and I never lidtnessed
any thing like it. It was impossible to collect ot
to make them do any thing. Nearly all were drunk.
Your officers depend for promotion upon interest
or money. Your soldiers are brave, nobody can
deny it ; but it was bad policy to encourage the
military mania, instead of sticking to your marine,
which is the real force of your country, and one
which, while you preserve it, will always render
you powerful. In order to have good soldiers, a
nation must always be at war^
" If you had lost the battle of Waterloo,* con-
tinued he, *^ what a state would England have
been in ? The flower of your youth would have
been destroyed; for not a man, not even Lord
Wellington, would have escaped." I observed here
that Lord Wellington had determined never to
leave the field alive. Napoleon replied, " he could
not retreat. He would have been destroyed ynih
his army, if instead of the Prussians, Grouchy had
come up.** I asked him if he had not believed
for some time that the Prussians who had shewn
themselves were a part of Grouchy's corps. He
replied, '* certainly ; and I can now scarcely com-
prehend why it was a Prussian division and not
that of Grouchy.** I then took the liberty of asking,
whether, if neither Grouchy nor the Prussians had
arrived, it would not have been a drawn battle.
Napoleon answered, **the English army would
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 175
have been destroyed. They were defeated at
mid-day. But accident^ or more likely destiny^
decided that Lord Wellington should gain it. I
could scarcely believe that he would have given
me battle ; because if he had retreated to Ant-
werp, as he ought to have done, I must have been
overwhelmed by the armies of three or four hun-
dred thousand men that were coming against me.
By giving me battle there was a chance for me. It
was the greatest folly to disunite the English and
Prussian armies. They ought to have been united ;
and I cannot conceive the reason of their separa-
tion. It was folly in Wellington to give me battle
in a place, where, if defeated, all must have been
lost, for he could not retreat. There was a wood
in his rear, and but one road to gain it. He would
have been destroyed. Moreover, he allowed him-
self to be suprised by me. This was a great fault.
He ought to have been encamped from the begin-
ning of June, as he must have known that I in-
tended to attack him. He might have lost every
thing. But he has been fortunate; his destiny
has prevailed ; and every thing he did will meet
with applause. My intentions were, to attack
and to destroy the English. This I knew would
produce an immediate change of ministry. The
indignation against them for having caused the
loss of forty thousand of the flower of the Eng-
lish army, would have excited such a popular
176 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA*
commotion^ that they would have been turned
out. The people would have said/ ^ What is it
to ui3 who is on the throne of France^ Louis or
Napoleon; are we to sacrifice all our blood in
endeavours to place on the throne a detested
family ? No^ we have suffered enough. It is no
affair of ours^ — ^let them settle it amongst them*-
selves.* They would have made peace. The
Saxons^ Bavarians, Belgians, Wirtemburghcrs,
would have joined me. The coalition was no-
thing without England. The Russians would
have made peace, and I should have been quietly
seated on the throne. Peace would have been
permament, as what could France do after the
treaty of Paris ? What was to be feared from her ?**
*^ These,*' continued he, " were my reasons for
attacking the English. I had beaten the Prus-
sians. Before twelve o'clock I had succeeded.
I may say, every thing was mine, but accident
and destiny decided it otherwise. Doubtless the
English fought most bravely, nobody can deny it.
But they must have been destroyed.
*^Pitt and his politics," continued he, "nearly
ruined England by keeping up a continental war
with France." I remarked, that it was asserted by
many able politicians in England, that if we had
not carried on that war, we should have been
ruined, and ultimately have become a province of
Fi-ance. ** It is not true," said Napoleon, " Eng-
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 177
land beiDg at war with France, gave the latter a
pretence and an opportunity of extending her con-
quest under me to the length she did, until I be-
came emperor of nearly all the world, which could
not have happened, if there had been no war. The
conversation then turned upon the occupation
of Malta. " Two days," said he, " before Lord
Whitworth left Paris, an oflFer was made to the
minister and to others about me of thirty millions
of francs, and to acknowledge me as king of
France, provided I would give up Malta to you.**
— He added, however, that the war would have
broken out, had Malta been out of the ques-
sion. Some conversation then took place relative
to English seamen. Napoleon observed, that the
English seamen were as much superior to the
French, as the latter were to the Spaniards. I
ventured to say that I thought the French would
never make good seamen, on account of their im-
patience and volatility of temper. That espe
cially they would never submit without cooiplain-
ing, as we had done at Toulon, to blockade ports
for years together, suflFering from the . combined
eflFects of bad weather, and of privations of every
kind. ** I do not agree with you there, Signor
dottore^ said he, ^^ but I do not think that they
will ever make as good seamen as yours. The
sea is yours, — your seamen are as much su-
perior to ours as the Dutch were once to yours,
vou I. 2 a
178 A VOICB FROM 8T. HELENA.
I think^ however, that the Americans are bettw
seaman than yours, because they are less numer-
ous." I observed that the Americans had a con-
siderable number of. English seamen in their ser-
vice, who passed for Americans, which was re-
markable, as, independent of other circumstances^
the American discipline on board of men-of-war
was much more severe than ours. And, that if
the Americans had a large navy, they would find
it impossible to have so many able seamen in each
ship as they had at present. When I observed
that the American discipline was more severe than
ours, he smiled and said, " sarebbe difficile a ere--
derer
Five, p. m. — Napoleon sent for me. Found him
sitting in a chair opposite to the fire. He had
gone out to walk, and was seized with rigors,
headach, severe cough. Examined his tonsils,
which were swelled. Cheek inflamed. Had se-
verest rigors while I was present. " Je tremble^
said he to Count Las Cases, who was present,
*^ comme si feiisse peur."* Pulse much quickened.
Recommended warm fomentations to his cheek,
a liniment to his throat, warm diluents, a garga-
rism, pediluvium, and total abstinence ; all of
which he approved of, except the liniment. He
asked a great many questions about fever.
Saw him again at nine in bed. He had strictly
complied with my directions ; I was desirous that
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 179
he should take a diaphoretic, but he preferred
trusting to bis warm diUients. He imputed bis
complaint to the ventaccio* eternally blowing over
the bleak and exposed site of Longwood. ** I
ought,** said he, "to be at the Briars, or at the
other side of the island, instead of being on this
horrid spot. While I was there last year at this
season, I was very well." He asked what I
thought was the easiest mode of dying, and observ-
ed that death by cold was the easiest of all others,
because "^/ muore dormendo^ (one dies sleeping).
Sent a letter to Sir Hudson Lowe, acquainting
him with Napoleon's illness.
21th. — ^A free perspiration took place in the
night, and Napoleon was considerably better. Re-
commended a continuance of the means he had
adopted, and not to expose himself to the wind.
He made nearly the same observations as he had
done yesterday relative to the exposed and un-
healthy situation of Longwood, adding, that it
was so bleak a spot that scarcely any vegetable
would grow upon it.
Had some conversation with him relative to the
Empress Josephine, of whom he spoke in terms
the most aflFectionate. His first acquaintance with
that amiable being commenced after the disarming
of the sections in Paris, subsequently to the 13tfi
* Ventaccio is a provincial word which means a nasty or acrid
wind.
180 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
of Vendemiaire, 1 795. ^ A boy of twelve or tliirteea
years old presented himself to me," continued he,
*^and entreated that his fathers sword, (who had
been a general of the republic,) should be re-
turned. I was so touched by this affectionate re-
quest, that I ordered it to be given to him. This
boy was Eugene Beauharnois. On seeing the
sword, he burst into tears. I felt so much af-
fected by his conduct that I noticed and praised
him much. A few days afterwards, his mother
came to return me a visit of thanks. I was much
struck with her appearance, and still more with her
esprit. This firet impression was daily strengtli-
ened, and marriage was not long in following."
Saw Sir Hudson Lowe. Informed him of Na-
poleon^s state of health and that he had attri-
buted his complaints to the violence of the wind,
and the bleak and exposed situation of Long-
wood ; also that he had expressed a desire to be
removed either to the Briars, or to the other side
of the island. His excellency replied, *' The fact
is, that General Bonaparte wants to get Planta-
tion House ; but the East India company will not
consent to have so fine a plantation given to a set
of Frenchmen, to destroy the trees and ruin the
gardens.**
Eight, p. m. — ^Napoleon not so well ; right jaw
much tumefied, with difficulty of swallowing,
caused by the inflammation of the tonsils^ &c. He
A VOICB FROM ST. HELRNA« 181
would not consent to use any thing except diluents
and fomentations. Recommended a purgative to
be taken in the morning, and also some other
active remedies, which he declined doing, observ-
ing that he had never taken any medicine since
his childhood ; that he knew his own constitution,
and was convinced that even a very small dose
would produce violent effects : that moreover,
perhaps its effects would be contrary to the ef-
forts of nature. That he would trust to diet,
diluents, 8cc.
29th. — Napoleon rather better. Told him that
if he were attacked by any of the diseases of the
climate, he would, in all probability, be a dead
man in a few days, as the means which he was
willing to put in execution, were totally inadequate
to subdue a formidable complaint, although they
might be sufficient to relieve the trifling one under
which he had laboured. Notwithstanding all the
reasoning and the representations which I made
to him, he appeared to think that it was better
to do nothing than to take medicines, which
he was of opinion were dangerous, or at least
doubtful, as they might disturb the operations of
nature.
30th. — ^Napoleon consented to make use of a
gargle of infusion of roses and sulphuric acid.
There were many vesicles on the inside of his
ch^k and gums. He inveighed against the cUma
182 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
harharo (the barbarous climate) of Longwood, and
again mentioned the Briars.*
Informed Sir Hudson Lowe of the state of his
health, and of his desire to be removed to the
Briars. His excellency replied, that if General
Bonaparte wanted to make himself comfortable,
and to get reconciled to the island, he ought to
draw for some of those large sums of money which
he possessed, and lay it out in purchasing a house
and grounds. I said, that Napoleon had told me
he did not know where his money was placed.
Sir Hudson replied, ^^I suppose he told you that,
in order that you might repeat it to me."
November \st. — ^Napoleon better. Some tume-
faction of the legs, and enlargement of the glands
of the thigh. Recommended him to take some
sulphate of magnesia, or Glauber s salts. Another
portion of plate broken up, in order to be sent to
town for sale.
2nd. — Nearly the same. Recommended to him
in the strongest terms, to take exercise as soon as
the state of his cheeks, and of the weather, would
admit of its being put in practice ; and gave it as
my firm and decided opinion, that unless he put
this advice in practice, he would be infallibly at-
tacked by some very serious complaint.
During the conversation, I took the liberty of
asking the emperor his reasons for having encou-
* The Briars b nearly two miles distant from the sea-shore.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 183
raged the Jews so much. He replied, ** I wanted
to make them leave off usury, and become like
other men. There were a great many Jews in the
countries I reigned over ; by removing their disabi-
lities, and by putting them upon an equality with
Catholics, Protestants, and others, I hoped to
make them become good citizens, and conduct
themselves like the rest of the community. I be-
lieve that I should have succeeded in the end. My
reasoning with them was, that as their rabbins ex-
plained to them that they ought not to practise
usury against their own tribes, but were allowed
to practise it with Christians and others, that,
therefore, as I had restored them to all their privi-
leges, and made them equal to my other subjects,
they must consider me, like Solomon or Herod,
to be the head of their nation, and my subjects as
brethren of a tribe similar to theirs. Tliat, conse-
quently, they were not permitted to deal usuri-
ously with them or me, but to treat us as if we
were of the tribe of Judah. That enjoying similar
privileges to my other subjects, they were, in like
manner, to pay taxes, and submit to the hiws of
conscription, and to otlier laws. By this I gained
many soldiers. Besides, I should have drawiLgrcat
wealth to France, as the Jews are very numerous,
and would have flocked to a country where they
enjoyed such superior privileges. Moreover, 1
wanted to establish an universal liberty of cou-
gcience. My system was to have no predominant
184 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
religion, but to allow perfect liberty of con*
science and of thought, to make all men equals
whether Protestants, Catholics, Mahometans,
Deists, or others ; so that their religion should
have no influence in getting them employments
under government. In fact, that it should neither
be the means of serving, nor of injuring them ; and
that no objections should be made to a man*s get-
ting a situation on the score of religion, provided
he were fit for it in other respects. I made every
thing independent of religion. All the tiibunals
were so. Marriages were independent of the
priests; even the burying grounds were not left
at their disposal, as they could not refuse inter-
ment to the body of any person of whatsoever
religion. My intention was to render every thing
belonging to the state and the constitution, purcly
civil, without reference to any religion. I wished
to deprive the priests of all influence and power
in civil afikirs, and to oblige them to confine
themselves to their own spiritual matter, and
meddle with nothing else.** I asked if uncles
and nieces had not a right to marry in France.
He replied, " Yes, but they must obtain a special
permission.** I asked if the permission were to
be granted by the pope. " By the pope r" said
he, "No;" catching me by the ear and smiling,
" I tell you that neither the pope, nor any of L^
priests, had power to grant any thing. — By the
Bovereign.**
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 185
I asked some questions relative to the free-
masons^ and his opinions concerning them. " A
set of imbeciles who meet, d /aire bonne chhe^
and perform some ridiculous fooleries. However/*
said he, ^* they do some good actions. They as-
sisted in the revolution, and latterly to diminish
the power of the pope and the influence of the
clergy. When the sentiments of a people are
against the government, every society has a ten-
dency to do mischief to it.** I then asked if the
freemasons on the continent had any connexion
with the illuminati. He replied, '^ No, that is a
society altogether different, and in Germany is
of a very dangerous nature.** I asked if he had
not encouraged the freemasons ? He said, ^^ Ra-
ther sOj for they fought against the pope.** I then
asked if he ever would have permitted the re-esta-
blishment of the Jesuits in France ? " Never,**
said he, *^ it is the most dangerous of societies,
and has done more mischief than all the others.
Thdr doctrine is, that their general is the so«
vereign of sovereigns, and master of the world ;
that all orders from him, however contrary to the
laws, or however wicked, must be obeyed. Every
act, however atrocious, committed by them pursu*
ant to orders from their general at Rome, becomes
in their eyes meritorious. No, no, I would never
have allowed a society to exist in my dominions,
under the orders of a foreign general at Rome,
vou I. 2 b
186 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
In fact. I would not allow any /rati* There were
priests sufficient for those who wanted thein^
without having monasteries filled with canaglie,
who did nothing but gormandize, pray, and com-
mit crimes " I observed, that it was to be feared
the priests and the Jesuists would soon have great
influence in France. Napoleon replied, " very
likely. The Bourbons are fanatics, and would
willingly bring back both the Jesuists and the in-
quisition. In reigns before mine, the Protestants
were as badly treated as the Jews ; they could
not purchase land — I put them upon a level with
the Catholics. They will now be trampled upon
by the Bourbons, to whom they and every thing
else liberal will always be objects of suspicion.
The Emperor Alexander may allow them to enter
his empire, because it is his policy to draw into
his barbarous country, men of information, what-
soever their sect may be, and moreover, they are
not to be much feared in Russia, because the re-
ligion is different.
The following is his description of Carnot. A
man laborious and sincere, but liable to the in-
fluence of intrigues, and easily deceived. He di-
rected the operations of war, without having me-
rited the eulogiums which were pronounced upon
him, as he had neither the experience, nor the
•Friars,
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA* 187
habitnde of war. When minister of war, he
shewed but little talent^ and had many quarrels
with the minister of finance and the treasury ; in
all of which he was wrong. He left the ministry,
oonvinced that he could not fulfil his station for
want of money. He afterwards voted against the
establishment of the empire, but as his conduct
was always upright, he never gave any umbrage
to the government. During the prosperity of the
empire, he never asked for any thing; but after
the misfortunes of Russia, he demanded employ-
ment, and got the command of Antwerp, where he
acquitted himself very well. After Napoleon's
return from Elba, he was minister of the interior ;
and the emperor had every reason to be satisfied
with his conduct. He was faithful, a man of
truth and probity, and laborious in his exertions.
On the abdication, he was named one of the pro-
visional government, but he was joui by the in-
triguers by whom he was surrounded. He passed
for an original amongst his companions when
he was young. He hated the nobles, and on
that account had several quarrels with Robes-
pierre, who latterly protected many of them. He
was member of the committee of public safety
along with Robespierre, Couthon, St. Just, and
the other butchers, and was the only one who was
not denounced. He afterwards demanded to be
included in the denunciation, and to be tried for
188 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
his conduct, as well as the others, which was re-
ftised ; but his having made the demand to share
the fate of the rest gained him great credit.
^'Barras,** he said, *^was a violent man. and
possessed of little knowledge or resolution ; fickle,
and far from meriting the reputation which he
enjoyed, although from the violence of his man-
ner and loudness of tone in the beginning of his
speeches, one would have thought otherwise.*
5th. — Sir Hudson Lowe at Longwood. In-
formed him, that although Napoleon was much
better, it was my opinion, that if he persisted in
the system of confining himself to his room, and in
not taking exercise, he would soon be attacked
by some serious complaint, and that in all proba-
bility his existence in St. Helena would not be
protracted for more than a year or two. Sir Hud-
son asked with some degree of asperity, ^Why
did he not take exercise ?** I briefly recapitu-
lated to him some of his own restrictions : amongst
others, that of placing sentinels at the gates of
the garden in which he had formerly walked at
six o'clock in the afternoon, with orders to let
nobody out ; which being the cool of the evening,
was the most desirable time to walk. Sir Hudson
said they were not placed at six o'clock, but only
at sun-set. I observed to his excellency, that the
sun set immediately after six, and that in the
tropics, the twilight was of a very short duration.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 189
The governor then sent for Capt. Poppleton, and
made some enquiries concerning the posting of the
sentinels and their orders. Captain Poppleton
informed him^ that the orders which were issued
to the sentinels being verbal, were continually
liable to be misunderstood. After some conver-
sation with Capt. P., Sir Hadson Lowe observed,
he thought it very extraordinary that General Bo-
naparte would not ride out with a British officer.
I remarked, that he would in all probability, if
matters were well managed. For example, if
when he mounted his horse, an officer was sent
after him at a short distance to watch his motions,
I could answer to his excellency that Napoleon,
although he should well know what the officer's
business was, would never appear to be aware of
ity and that he would be just as secure as if an
officer rode by his side. I went so far as to say,
that Napoleon had himself intimated to me, that
he would not see any person following him, pro-
tided it were not officially made known that he
was a guard over him. Sir Hudson replied that
he would consider of it, and desired me to write
him a statement of my opinion of the health of
General Bonaparte ; cautioning me, that in writing
it, I must bear in mind, that the life of one man
was not to be put into competition with the mis-
chief which he might cause, were he to get loose ;
and that I must recollect. General Bonapai-te had
/
190 A VOICE FROM 8T. HBLBNA.
been already a curse to the world, and had caused
the loss of many thousands of lives. That my si-
tuation was very peculiar, and one of great politi-
cal importance.
A quantity of plate, which had been broken up,
taken to town by Cipriani, and deposited with
Balcombe, Cole, and Co. in the presence of Sir
Thomas Reade, to whom the key of the chest con-
taining it was delivered.
1th. — ^Napoleon much better, and nearly free
from complaint.
8M. — ^Napoleon asked me many anatomical and
physiological questions, and observed, that be
had studied anatomy himself for a few days, but
had been sickened by the sight of some bodies
that were opened, and abandoned any further pro-
gress in that science. After some developement
of his ideas touching the soul, I made a few re-
marks upon the Poles who had served in his
army, who I observed were greatly attached to
his person. " Ah T replied the emperor, ** they
were much attached to me. The present viceroy
of Poland was with me in my campaign in
Egypt. I made him a general. Most of my old
Polish guard are now through policy employed
by Alexander. They are a brave nation, and
make good soldiers. In the cold which prevails
in the northern countries the Pole is better than
the Frenchman." I asked him, if in less rigorous
A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA, 191
climates the Poles were as good soldiers as the
French. ^ Oh, no, no. In other places the
Frenchman is much superior. The commandant
of Dantzic informed me, that during the severity
Qf the winter, when the thermometer sunk eighteen
degrees, it was impossible to make the French
soldiers keep their posts as sentinels, while the
Poles suflfered nothing. Poniatowsky," continued
he, *^was a noble character, full of honour and
bravery. It was my intention to have made him
king of Poland, had I succeeded in Russia." I
asked to what he principally attributed his failure
in that expedition. "To the cold, the premature
cold, and the burning of Moscow," replied Napo-
leon. *^I was a few days too late — I had made
a calculation of the weather for fifty years before,
and the extreme cold had never commenced until
about the 20th of December, twenty days later
than it began this time. While I was at Moscow,
the cold was at three of the thermometer, and
was such as the French could with pleasure bear ;
but on the march, the thermometer sunk eighteen
degrees, and consequently nearly all the horses
perished. In one night I lost thirty thousand.
The artillery, of which I had five hundred pieces,
was in a great measure obliged to be abandoned ;
neither ammunition nor provisions could be car-
ried. We could not, through the want of horses,
make a reconnaissance^ or send out an advance of
192 A VOICE FROM ST. HELBNA*
men oa horseback to discover the way. The sol-
diers lost theu* spirits and their senses, and ML
into confusion. The most trifling circumstance
alarmed them. Four or five men were suffident
to terrify a whole battalion. Instead of keeping
together, they wandered about in search of fire.
Parties^ when sent out on duty in advance, aban-
doned their posts, and went to seek the means of
warming themselves in the houses. They se-
parated in all directions, became helpless, and fell
an easy prey to the enemy. Others lay down,
fell asleep, a little blood came from their nostrils,
and, sleeping, they died. In this manner thou-
sands perished. The Poles saved some of their
horses and artillery, but the French, and the sol*
diers of the other nations, were no longer the
same men. In particular, the cavalry suffered.
Out of forty thousand, I do not think that three
thousand were saved. Had it not been for that
fire at Moscow, I should have succeeded. I would
have wintered there. There were in that city about
forty thousand citizens who were in a manner
slaves. For you must know that the Russian nobi-
lity keep their vassals in a sort of slavery. I would
have proclaimed liberty to all the slaves in Russia,
and abolished vassalage and nobility. This would
have procured me the union of an immense and
a powerful party. I would either have made a
peace at Moscow, or else I would have marched
'▲ TOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 193
the next year to Petersburgh. Alexander was
assured of it, and sent his diamonds, valuables,
and ships to England. Had it not been for that
fire^ I should have succeeded in every thing. Two
days before, I beat them in a great action at
Moskwa ; I attacked the Russian army of two hun-
dred and fifty thousand strong, entrenched up to
thdr necks^ with ninety thousand, and totally de-
flated them. Seventy thousand Russians lay upon
the field. They had the impudence to say that
they had gained the battle, although I marched
into Moscow two days after. I was in the midst
of a fine city, provisioned for a year, for in Russia
they always lay in provisions for several months
before the frost sets in. Stores of all kinds were
in plenty. The houses of the inhabitants were
well provided, and many had even left their ser-
vants to attend upon us. In most of them there
was a note left by the proprietor, begging of the
French officers who took possession to be careful
of their furniture and other eflFects ; that they had
left every article necessary for our wants, and
hoped to return in a few days, when the emperor
Alexander had accommodated matters, at which
time they would be happy to see us. Many ladies
remained behind. They knew that I had been in
Berlin and Vienna with my armies, and that no
injury had been done to the inhabitants; and
VOL. I. 3 c
194 A VOICE FROM ST. HELBNA.
moreorer, they expected a speedy peace. Wfe
were in hopes of enjoying ourselves in winter qna^-
ters, with every prospect of success in the spring.
Two days after our arrival, a fire was discovered^
which at first was not supposed to be alarming^
but to have been caused by the soldiers kindling
their fires too near to the houses, which were chiefly
of wood. I was angry at this, and issued veiy
strict orders on the subject to the commandanta
of regiments and others. The next dajr it had
increased, but still not so as to give serious alarm.
However, afraid that it might gain upon us, I went
out on horseback, and gave every direction to
extinguish it. The next morning a violent \nnd
arose, and the fire spread with the greatest rapi-
dity. Some hundred miscreants, hired for that
purpose, dispersed themselves in different parts
of the town, and with matches which they con-
cealed under their cloaks, set fire to as many
houses to windward as they could, which was
easily done, in consequence of the combustible
materials of which they were built. This, toge-
ther with the violence of the wind, rendered every
eflFort to extinguish the fire ineffectual. I myself
narrowly escaped with life. In order to shew an
example, I ventured into the midst of the flames^
and had my hair and eye-brows singed, and my
clothes burnt oflf my back ; but it was in vain, as
-A VOICE PROM ST. HELENA. 'l95
they had destroyed most of the pumps, of which
there were above a thousand ; out of all these, I
believe that we could only find one that was ser-
viceable. Besides, the wretches that had been
hu^d by Rostopchin, ran about in every quarter,
disseminating fire with their matches; in which
they were but too much assisted by the wind.
This terrible conflagration ruined evety thing. I
was prepared for all but this. It was unforeseen,
for who would have thought that a nation would
have set its capital on fire ? The inhabitants
themselves, however, did all they could to ex-
tinguish it, and several of them perished in their
endeavours. They also brought before us num-
bers of the incendiaries with their matches, as
amidst such a popolazzo we never could have dis-
covered them ourselves. I caused about two hun-
dred of these wretches to be shot. Had it not
been fbr this fatal fire, I possessed every thing my
army wanted ; excellent winter quarters ; stores
of all kinds were in plenty ; and the next year
would have decided it. Alexander would have
made peace, or I would have been in Petersburgh."
I asked if he thought that he could entirely sub-
due Russia. " No,'* replied Napoleon ; '• but I
would have caused Russia to make such a peace
as suited the interests of France. I was five days
too late in quitting Moscow. Several of the gu-
nerals," continued he, " were burnt out of their
196 A VOICB FROM ST. HBLENA.
beds. I myself remaned in the Kremlin * until
surrounded by flames. The fire advanced^ seized
the Chinese and India warehouses, and several
stores of oil and spirits, which burst forth in
flames and overwhelmed every thing. I then re*
tired to a country-house of the Emperor Alex*
ander, distant about a league from Moscow, and
you may figure to yourself the intensity of the
fire, when I tell you, that you could scarcely bear
your hands upon the walls or the windows on the
side next to Moscow, in consequence of their
heated state. It was the spectacle of a sea and
billows of fire, a sky and clouds of flame ; moun-
tains of red rolling flames, like immense waves of
the sea, alternately bursting forth and elevating
themselves to skies of fire, and then sinking into
the ocean of flame below. Oh, it was the most
grand, the most sublime,^ and the most terrific sight
the world ever beheld ! ! Allons^ Docteur'' -f-
9th. — Had some conversation with the emperor
* General Gourgaud informed me^ that during the conflagration,
great numbers of crows (which are in myriads at Moscow) perched
in flocks upon the towers of the Kremlin, from whence they frc*
quently descended and hovered round the French soldiers, tapping
their wings and screaming, as if menacing them with the destruction
that followed. He added^ that the troops were dispirited by this |
which they conceived to be a bad omen.
'^ This was Napoleon's general expression when he wished no to
retire.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA* 197
conoeming religion. I observed, that in England
there weiie different opinions about his faith ; that
some had latterly supposed him to be a Roman Ca-
tholic. *' Ebhene^ replied he, ^* Credo tutto quel
eke crede la chiesaJ* (I believe all that the church
believes.) ** I used," continued he, " to make the
bishop of Nantes dispute with the Pope frequently
in my presence. He wanted to re-establish the
monks. My bishop used to tell him that the em-
peror had no objection to persons being monks
in their hearts, but that he objected to allowing
any society of them to exist publicly. The Pope
wanted n^ to confess, which I always evaded by
saying, 'Holy father (santo padre) y I am too much
occupied at present. When I get older.' I took
a pleasure in conversing with the Pope, who was a
good old man, ma testardo, (though obstinate)."
*' There are so many different religions," conti-
nued he, " or modifications of them, that it is dif-
ficult to know which to choose. If one religion
had existed from the beginning of the world, I
should think that to be the true one. As it is, I
am of opinion that every person ought to continue
in the religion in which he was brought up ; in that
of his fathers. What are you ?" *' A protestant," I
replied. "Was your father so?" I said, '*Yes."
^ Then continue in that belief."
" In France," continued he, " I received Catho-
lics and Protestants alike at my levee. I paid
198 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
their ministers alike. 1 gave the Protestants a
fine church at Paris, which had formerly belong-
ed to the Jesuists. In order to prevent any reli-
gious quarrels in places where there were both
Catholic and Protestant churches, I prohibited
them from tolling the bells to summon the people
to worship in their respective churches, unless the
ministers of the one and the other made a specific
request for permission to do so, and stating that it
was at the desire and request of the members of
each religion. Permission was then given for a
year, and if at the expiration of that year the de-
mand was not renewed by both parties again^ it
was not continued. By these means, I prevented
the squabbles which had previously existed, as the
Catholic priests found that they could not have
their own bells tolled, unless the Protestants had
a similar privilege."
" There is a link between animals and the Deity.
Man," added he, "is merely a more perfect ani-
mal than the rest. He reasons better. But how
do we know that animals have not a language of
their own ? My opinion is, that it is presumption
in us to say no, because we do not understand
them. A horse has memory, knowledge, and love.
He knows his master from the servants, though
the latter are more constantly with him. I had a
horse myself, who knew me from any other pei-
Bon, and manifested by capeiing and proudly
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 199
marching with his head erects when I was on his
back, his knowledge that he bore a person supe*
rior to the others by whom he was surrounded.
Neither would he allow any other person to mount
him, except one groom, who constantly took care
of him, and when ridden by him, his motions were
far different, and such as seemed to say that he
was conscious he bore an inferior. When I lost
my way, I was accustomed to throw the reins
down his. neck, and he always discovered it in
places where I, with all my observation and boast-
ed superior knowledge, could not. Who can deny
the sagacity of dogs ? There is a link between aU
animals. Plants are so many animals who eat
and drink, and there are gradations up to man,
who is only the most perfect of them all. The
same spirit animates them all in a greater or a
lesser degree.*'
** That governor,'* added he, " has closed up the
path which led to the company's gardens, where I
used to walk sometimes^ as it is the only spot
sheltered from the vento agro, which I suppose he
thought was too great an indulgence, ^ Son certo
che ha qiutlche cattivo oggetto in vista.* But I do
not give myself any uneasiness about it, for when a
man's time is come he must go." I took the liberty
of asking if he was a predestinarian. ^^ Sicuro^
replied Napoleon, " as much so as the Turks aie.
I have been always so. When destiny wills, it
200 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
must be obeyed. (Quando lo vuole il destino, bi-
sogna uhhidire.y
Asked him some questions about Blucher,
" Blucher,'' said he, " is a very brave soldier, un
bon sabreur. He is like a bull who shuts his eyes,
and, seeing no danger, rushes on. He committed
a thousand faults, and had it not been for circum-
stances I could repeatedly have made him and the
greatest part of his army prisoners. -He is stub-
born and indefatigable, afraid of nothing, and very
much attached to his country ; but as a general,
he is without talent. I recollect that when I was
in Prussia, he dined at my table after he had sur-
rendered, and he was then considered to be on
ordinaiy character.**
Speaking about the English soldiers, he ob-
served, " the English soldier is brave, nobody
more so, and the officers generally men of honour,
but I do not think them yet capable of executing
grand manoeuvres. I think that if I were at the
head of them, I could make them do any thing.
However, I know them not enough yet to speak
decidedly. I had a conversation with Bingham
about it ; and although he is of a diflFerent opinion,
I would alter your system. Instead of the lash, I
would lead them by the stimulus of honour. I
would instil a degree of emulation into their minds.
I would promote every deserving soldier, as I did
in France. After an action I assembled the offi^
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 201
cers and soldiers^ and asked, who have acquitted
themselyes best r Quels sont les braves ? and pro-
moted such of them as were capable of reading
and writing. Those who were not^ I ordered to
study five hours a day until they had learned a
sufficiency^ and then promoted them. What might
not be expected from the English army^ if every
soldier hoped to be made a general if he be-
haved well? Bingham says^ however^ that the
greatest part of your soldiers are brutes^ and must
be driven by the stick. But surely,** continued
he^ ^^ the English soldiers must be possessed of
sentiments sufficient to put them at least upon a
level with the soldiers of other nations, where
the degrading system of the lash is not used.
Whatever debases man cannot be serviceable.
Bingham says, that none but the dregs of the
canaille voluntarily enter as soldiers. This dis-
graceful punishment is the cause of it. I would
remove it, and make even the situation of a private
soldier be considered as conferring honour upon
the individual who bore it. I would act as I
did in France. I would encourage young men of
education, the sons of merchants, gentlemen, and
others, to enter as private soldiers, and promote
them according to their merits. I would substi-
tute confinement, bread and water, the contempt
of his comrades (le m4pris de ses camaradesjj and
such other punishments for the lash. Quando il
soldato i awilito e disonarato colle Jruste, poco
VOL. I. 2d
\
202 ▲ VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
gli preme la gloria o Vonore della sua pairu^i
What honour can a man possibly have who is
flogged before his comrades. He loses all feek
ing, and would as soon fight against as for his
country^ if he were better paid by the opposite
party. When the Austnans had possession al
Italy, they in vain attempted to make soldiens of
the Italians. They either deserted as fast as they
raised them, or else, when compelled to adyanoa
against an enemy, they ran away on the first fire^
It was impossible to keep together a single regi«
ment. \^en I got Italy, and began to raise sol-
diers, the Austrians laughed at me, and said that
it was in vain, that they had been trying for a long
time, and that it was not in the nature of the Itar
lians to fight or to make good soldiers. Notwitb*
standing this, I raised many thousands of Italians^
who fought with a bravery equal to the French^
and did not desert me even in my adversity
What was the cause ? I abolished flogging and
the stick, which the Austrians had adopted. I
promoted those amongst the soldiers who had
talents, and made many of them generals. I sub-
stituted honour and emulation for terror and the
lash."
I asked his opinion relative to the comparative
merit of the Russians, Prussians, and Germans.
Napoleon replied, ^ Soldiers change, sometimes
* ^'When a loldler hai been debased and dishononred by stripesy
be caret bat Utile for the (^ary, or the honour of hia eounUy."
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 2U3
brave, sometimes laches. I have seen the Russians
at Eylau perform prodigies of valour : they were
so many heroes. At Moscow, entrenched up to
tbdr necks, they allowed me to beat two hundred
and fifty thousand men wiUi ninety thousand. At
Jena, and at other battles in that campaign, the
Prussians fled like sheep; since that time they
have fought bravely. My opinion is, that now,
the Prussian soldier is superior to the Austrian.
The ^French cuirassiers were the best cavalry in
the world pour enf oncer Vinfanterie. Individually,
there is no hoi*seman superior, or perhaps equal
to the Mamaluke ; but they cannot act in a
body. As partisans, the Cossacs excel, and the
P6les as lancers.** This he said in reply to a
question made by me of his opinion relative to the
cavalry.
I asked who he thought was the best general
amongst the Austrians. '^ Prince Charles,** he
replied, '' although he has committed a thousand
&ults. As to Schwartzenberg, he is not fit to com-
mand six thousand men.**
Napoleon then spoke about the siege of Tou-
lon, and observed, that he had made General
0*Hara prisoner, " I may say,** said he, " with
my own hand. I had constructed a masked bat-
tery of eight twenty-four pounders, and four mor-
tars, in order to open upon fort Malbosquet (I think
It was), which was in possession of the English.
204 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
It was finished in the evening, and it was my in-
tention to have opened upon them in the morning.
While I was pving directions at another part of
the army, some of the deputies from the conven-
tion came down. In those days they sometimes
took upon them to direct the operations of the
armies, and those imbeciles ordered the battery to
commence, which was obeyed. As soon as I saw
this premature fire, I immediately conceived that
the English general would attack the battery and
most probably carry it, as matters had not been
yet arranged to support it. In fact O'Hara, seeing
that the fire from that battery would dislodge his
troops from Malbosquet, from which last I would
have taken the fort which commanded the har-
bour, determined upon attacking it. Accordingly,
early in the morning he put himself at the head of
his troops, sallied out, and actually carried the
battery and the lines which I had formed (Napoleon
here drew a plan upon a piece of paper of the situa-
tion of the batteries) to the left, and those to the
right were taken by the Neapolitans. While he was
busy in spiking the guns, I advanced with three
or four hundred grenadiers, unperceived, through
a hoycni covered with olive-trees, which communi-
cated with the battery, and commenced a terrible
fire upon his troops. The English, astonished^ at
first supposed that the Neapolitans, who had the
lines on the right, had mistaken them for French^
A TOICB FROM ST. HELRNA. 205
and said, it is those canaglie of Neapolitans who
are firing upon us (for even at that time your
troops despised the Neapolitans). O'Hara ran
oat of the batteiy and advanced towards us. In
advancing, he was wounded in the arm by the fire
of a Serjeant, and I, who stood at the mouth of the
hoyauy seized him by the coat, and threw him
back amongst my own men, thinking that he was
a colonel, as he had two epaulettes on. While
they were taking him to the rear, he cried out that
be was the commander in chief of the English.
He thought that they were going to massacre him,
as there existed a horrible order at that time from
the convention to give no quarter to the English.
I ran up and prevented the soldiers from ill-treating
him. He spoke very bad French ; and as I saw
that he imagined they intended to butcher him, I
did every thing in my power to console him, and
gave directions that his wound should be imme-
diately dressed, and every attention paid to him.
He afterwards begged of me to give him a state-
ment of how he had been taken, in order that he
might shew it to his government in his justifica-
tion.''
** Those blockheads of deputies,** continued he,
^^ wanted to attack and storm the town first ; but
I explained to them that it was very strong, and
that we should lose many men ; that the best way
would be to make ourselves masters of the forts
206 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
which commanded the harbour, and then the Engu
lish would either be taken^ or be obliged to burn
the greatest part of the fleet, and escape. My ad-
vice was taken ; and the English perceiving what
would be the result, set fire to the ships and aban-
doned the town. If a Ubeccio* had come on, they
would have been all taken. It was Sydney Smith
who set them on fire, and they would have been
all burnt, if the Spaniards had behaved well. It
was the finest ^ei/ d^ artifice possible."
" Those Neapolitans,'* continued he, *^ are the
most vile canaglie in the world. Murat ruined
me by advancing against the Austrians with them*
When old Ferdinand heard of it, he laughed and
said in his jargon, that they would serve Murat
as they had done him before, when Championet
dispersed a hundred thousand of them like so
many sheep with ten thousand Frenchmen. I
had forbidden Murat to act ; for, after I returned
from Elba, there was an understanding between
the Emperor of Austria and me, that if I gave
him up Italy, he would not join the coalition
against me. This I had promised, and would
have fulfilled it ; but that imbecille^ in spite of the
direction I had given him to remain quiet, ad-
vanced with his rabble into Italy, where he was
blown away like a pufF. The Emperor of Aus-
tria seeing this^ concluded directly that it was by
* A loath- wind.
A TOIGB FROM ST. HELENA. 907
nqrordarSj and that I deceived him; and being
oonscioos that he had betrayed me himself before,
supposed that I did not intend to keep faith with
him, and determined to endeavour to crush me
with all his forces. Twice Murat betrayed and
rained me. Before, when he forsook me, he joined
the allies with sixty thousand men, and obliged me
to leave thirty thousand in Italy, when I wanted
them so much elsewhere. At that time, his army
was well officered by French. Had it not been
for this rash step of Murat^s, the Russians would
have retreated, as their intentions were not to have
advanced, if Austria did not join the coalition ;
80 that you would have been left to yourselves,
and have gladly made a peace."
He observed that he had always been willing to
conclude a peace with England. " Let your mi-
nisters say what they like," said he, *^ I was always
ready to make a peace. At the time that Fox
died, there was every prospect of effecting one,
if Lord Lauderdale had been sincere at first, it
would also have been concluded. Before the
campaign in Prussia, I caused it to be signified to
him that he had better persuade his countrymen to
make peace, as I would be master of Prussia in
two months ; for this reason, that although Russia
and Prussia united might be able to oppose me,
yet that Prussia alone could not. That the Rus-
sians were three months* march distant ; and that
208 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
as I had intelligence that their plan of campaiga
vas to defend Berlin, instead of retiring, in order
to obtain the support of the Russians, I would
destroy their army, and take Berlin before the Rus-
sians came up, who alone I would easily defeat af-
terwards. I therefore advised him to take advan-
tage of my offer of peace, before Prussia, who was
your best friend on the continent, was destroyed.
After this communication, I believe that Lord
Lauderdale was sincere, and that he wrote to
your ministers recommending peace ; but they
would not agree to it, thinking that the king of
Prussia was at the head of a hundred thousand
men ; that I might be defeated, and that a defeat
would be my ruin. This w«is possible. A battle
sometimes decides every thing ; and sometimes
the most trifling circumstance decides the fate of
a battle. The event, however, proved that I was
right ; after Jena, Prussia was mine. After Tilsit
and at Erfiirth,** continued he, " a letter contain-
ing proposals of peace to England, and signed by
the Emperor Alexander and myself, was sent to
your ministers, but they would not accept of
them.
He spoke of Sir Sydney Smith. ^' Sydney
Smith,** said he, " is a brave officer. He displayed
considerable ability in the treaty for the evacua-
tion of Egypt by the French. He took advantage
of the discontent which he found to prevail
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 209
amongst the French troops, at being so long away
from France, and other circumstances. He also
manifested great honour in sending immediately
to Kleber the refusal of Lord Keith to ratify the
treaty, which saved the French army ; if he had
kept it a secret for seven or eight days longer,
Cairo would have been gtven up to the Turks,
and the French army necessarily obliged to sur-
render to the English. He also shewed great hu-
manity and honour in all his proceedings towards
the French who fell into his hands. He landed
at Havre, for some sottise of a bet he had made,
according to some, to go to the theatre ; others
8ud it was for espionage ; however that may be,
he was arrested and confined in the Temple as a
spy ; and at one time it was intended to try and
execute him. Shortly after I returned from Italy,
he wrote to me from his prison, to request that
I would intercede for him ; but under the circum-
stances in which he was taken, I could do no-
thing for him. He is active, intelligent, intriguing,
and indefatigable ; but I believe that he is mezzo
pazzor
I asked if Sir Sydney had not displayed great
talent and bravery at Acre? Napoleon replied,
^ Yes, the chief cause of the failure there was,
that he took all my battering train, which was on
board of several small vessels. Had it not been
for that, I would have taken Acre in spite of him.
YOU I. 2 E
210 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
He behaved very bravely, and was well seconded
by Philippeaux, a Frenchman of talent, who had
studied with me as an engineer. There was a
Major Douglas also who behaved very gallantly
The acquisition of five or six hundred seamen as
cannoniers, was a great advantage to the Turks,
whose spirits they revived, and whom they shewed
how to defend the fortress. But he committed a
great fault in making sorties, which cost the live*
of two or three hundred brave fellows, without
the possibility of success. For it was impossible
he could succeed against the number of the French
who were before Acre. I would lay a wager that
he lost half of his crew in them. He dispersed
proclamations amongst my troops, which certainly
shook some of them, and I in consequence pub-
lished an order, stating that he was mad, and for-
bidding all communication with him. Some days
after, he sent, by means of a flag of truce, a lieu-
tenant or a midshipman with a letter containing
a challenge to me to meet him at some place he
pointed out, in order to fight a duel. I laughed
at this, and sent him back an intimation that when
he brought Marlborough to fight me, I would
meet him. Notwithstanding this, I like the cha-
racter of the man.**
In answer to a remark of mine, that the inva-
sion of Spain had been a measure very destructive
to him, he replied, " If the government I esta-
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 211
blished had remained, it would have been the best
thing that ever happened for Spain. I would
have regenerated the Spaniards ; I would have
made them a great nation. Instead of a feeble,
imbecile, and superstitious race of Bourbons, I
would have given them a new dynasty, that would
have no claim on the nation, except by the good
it would have rendered unto it. For an heredi-
tary race of asses, they would have had a mon-
arch, with ability to revive the nation, sunk under
the yoke of superstition and ignorance. Perhaps
it is better for France that I did not succeed,
as Spain would have been a formidable rival. I
would have destroyed superstition and priestcraft,
and abolished the inquisition and the monasteries
of those lazy bestie di frati. I would at least
have rendered the priests harmless. The guerillas,
who fought so bravely against me, now lament
their success. When I was last in Paris, I had
letters from Mina, and many other leaders of the
guerillas, craving assistance to expel their friar
from the throne.**
Napoleon afterwards made some observations
relative to the governor, whose suspicious and
mysterious conduct he contrasted with the open
and undisguised manner in which Sir George
Cockbum conducted himself. *^ Though the ad
miral was severe and rough,** said he, " yet he
was incapable of a mean action. He had no atro-
212 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
cities in contemplation, and tlierefore made no
mystery or secrecy of his conduct. Never have
I suspected him of any sinister design. Although
I might not like him, yet I could not despise him-
I despise the other. As a gaoler, the admiral
was kind and humane, and we ought to be grate-
ful to him; as our host, we have reason to be
dissatisfied, and to complain of him. This gaoler
deprives life of every inducement to me. Were
>t not that it would be an act of cowardice, and
that it would please your ministers, I would get
rid of it. Tengo la vita per la gloria. There is
more courage in supporting an existence like mine,
than in abandoning it. This governor has a double
correspondence with your ministers, similar to
that which all your ambassadors maintain; one
written so as to deceive the world, should they
ever be called upon to publish it, and the others
giving a true account, for themselves alone.** I
observed, that I believed all ambassadors and
other official persons in all countries, wrote two
accounts, one for the public, and the other con-
taining matters which it might not not be right to
divulge. *^True, signor medico^ replied Napo-
leon, taking me by the ear in a good-humoured
manner, ^^ but there is not so Machiavelian a mi-
nistry in the world as your own. Cela tient h voire
systhne. That, and the liberty of your press,
obliges your ministers to render some account to
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 213
the nation, and therefore they want to be able to
deceive the public in many instances ; but as it is
also necessary for them to ktK)w the truth them-^
selves, they have a double correspondence ; one
official and fsdse, calculated to gull the nation,
when published, or called for by the parliament ;
the other, private and true, to be kept locked up
in their own possession, and not deposited in the
archives. In this way, they manage to make every
thing appear as they wish to John Bull. Now this
system of falsehood is not necessary in a country
where there is no obligation to publish, or to ren-
der an account ; if the sovereign does not like to
make known any transaction officially, he keeps
it to himself, and gives no explanation ; therefore
there is no need of causing varnished accounts to
be written, in order to deceive the people. For
these reasons, there are more falsifications in your
official documents, than in those of any other na-
tion.**
lOth. — Wrote a statement to Sir Hudson Lowe,
purporting it to be my opinion, that a further
continuance of confinement and want of exercise
would be productive of some serious complaint to
Napoleon, which in all probability would prove
fatal to him.
12th. — Conversed with Napoleon, who was in
his bath, for a considerable time. On asking his
opiuion of Talleyrand, " Talleyrand," said he, " le
214 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
plus vil des agioteursy hasjlatteur. C*est un Jiamme
carrompuy who has betrayed all parties and per-
sons. Wary and ch-cumspect; always a traitor,
but always in conspiracy with fortune^ Talley-
rand treats bis enemies as if they were one day to
become his friends ; and his friends, as if they
were to become his enemies. He is a man of tSr-
lent, but venal in every thing. Nothing could
be done with him but by means of bribery. The
kings of Wirtemberg and Bavaria made so many
complaints of his rapacity and extortion, that I
took his portfeuille from him : besides, I found
that he had divulged to some intrigants, a most
important secret which I had confided to him
alone. He hates the Bourbons in his heart. When
1 returned from Elba, Talleyrand wrote to me
from Vienna, offering his services, and to betray
the Bourbons, provided I would pardon and re-
store him to favour. He argued upon a part of
my proclamation, in which I said there were cir-
cumstances which it was impossible to resist,
which he quoted. But I considered that there
were a few I was obliged to except, and refused,
as it would have excited indignation if I had not
punished somebody.**
I asked if it were true that Talleyrand had ad-
vised him to dethrone the King of Spain, and
mentioned that the Duke of Rovigo had told me
that Talleyrand had said in his presence, ^^ Your
▲ VOICB FROM 8T. HELENA. 215
majesty win never be secure upon your throne,
while a Bonrbon is seated upon one " He replied,
**True, he advised me to do every thing which
would injure the Bourbons, whom he detests."
Napoleon shewed me the marks of two wounds ;
one a very deep cicatrice above the left knee,
which he said he had received in his first cam-
paign of Italy, and was of so serious a nature,
that the surgeons were in doubt whether it might
not be ultimately necessary to amputate. He ob-
served, that when he was wounded, it was always
kept a secret, in order not to discourage the sol-
diers. The other was on the toe, and had been
received at Eckmiihl. "At the siege of Acre,**
continued he, " a shell thrown by Sydney Smith
fell at my feet. Two soldiers who were close by,
seized, and closely embraced me, one in fronjt and
the other on one side, and made a rampart of their
bodies for me, against the eflfect of the shell, which
exploded, and overwhelmed us with sand. We
sunk into the hole formed by its bursting ; one of
them was wounded. I made them both officers.
One has since lost a leg at Moscow, and com-
manded at Vincennes when I left Paris. When
he was summoned by the Russians, he replied,
that as soon as they sent him back the leg he
had lost at Moscow, he would surrender the for-
tress. Many times in my life," continued he,
f have I been saved by soldiers and officers throw-
216 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
iDg themselves before me when I was in the most
imminent danger. At Areola, when I was advanc-
ing, Colonel Meuron, my aid-de-camp, threw him-
self before me, covered me with his body, and re-
ceived the wound which was destined for me. He
fell at my feet, and his blood spouted up in my
face. He gave his life to preserve mine. Never
yet, I believe, has there been such devotion shewn
by soldiers as mine have manifested for me. In
all my misfortunes, never has the soldier, even
when expiring, been wanting to me — ^never has
man been served more faithfully by his troops.
With the last drop of blood gushing out of their
veins, they exclaimed, f^ive VEmperewrr I
I asked, if he had gained the 1)attle of Waterloo,
whether he would have agreed to the treaty of
Paris. Napoleon replied, " I would certainly have
ratified it. I would not have made such a peace
myself. Sooner than agree to much better terms
I abdicated before ; but finding it already mad^
I would have kept it, because France had need of
repose.**
13<A. — Sir Hudson Lowe sent orders to Count
Las Cases to dismiss his present servant, and to
replace him by a soldier whom he sent for that pur-
pose. The count replied, that Sir Hudson Lowe
had the power to take away his servant, but that
he could not compel him (Las Cases) to receive
another. That it would certainly be an inconve-
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 217
nienoe to lose his servant in the present state of
ill health of his son ; but that if he were taken
away^ he would not accept one of Sir Hudson
Lowers choosing. Captain Poppleton wrote to
Sir Hudson Lowe^ stating the count's disinclina-
tion ; and I informed him^ that the man he had
sent to replace the count's servant, had formerly
been employed at Longwood, and turned away
for drunkenness. Sir Hudson then desired me to
tell Poppleton, that the former servant might re-
main until he could find one that would answer,
adding, that he would look out himself for a pro-
per subject, which he also desired me to tell the
count. Informed him that it was my intention to
call in Mr. Baxter, to have the benefit of his ad-
vice in the case of young Las Cases, which pre-
sented some alarming appearances.
Communicated to Count Las Cases the mes-
sage I was charged with by Sir Hudson Lowe.
The count replied, " if the governor had told me
that he did not wish my servant to remain with
me, or that he would be glad if I sent him away,
and that he would give me a fortnight to look out
for another, I would immediately have dismissed
him, and most probably have asked the governor
to send me another ; but acting in the manner he
has done, without saying a word to me, I will
take no servant from his hands. He treats me as
a corporal would do. The admiral, even if dis*
VOL. I. 2 F
218 A VOICB FROM 8T. HELENA.
pleased with me^ never would have taken ray ser-
vant away out of revenge.**
Dined at Plantation House in company with
the Marquis Montchenu^ who amused the com-
pany with the importance which he attached to
grande naissance, relative to which he recounted
some anecdotes.
16th. — ^The Adamant transport arrived from the
Cape, bringing news of the arrival of Sir George
Cockbum in England, and that he had had an
audience with the Prince Regent on the 2nd of
August.
An inspector of police named Rainsford ar*
rived from England and the Cape.
17 th. — ^The allowances for Longwood dimi«
nished by order of Sir Hudson Lowe two pounds
of meat daily, in consequence of the departure of
a servant, who had received but one pound. A
bottle of wine also struck off.
The carters who bring up the provisions, state
that the foul linen of Longwood is frequently in-
spected by Sir Thomas Reade on its arrival in
town. Countess Bertrand sent down in the trunk
eontmning her soiled linen, some novels which
she had borrowed from Miss Chesborough, before
the arrival of Sir Hudson Lowe on the island.
They were placed on the top of the linen, and the
truidc was unlocked. Sir Thomas Reade said,
that it was a violation of the proclamation, and
4L TOICB FROM ST. HKLBNA« 21%
that Miss Chesborough should be turned off the
island. He then exanimed the countess's liAen,
upon which he made observations not consistent
with the delicacy or the respect due to the female sex.
Mentioned to the emperor that I had been in*
formed he had saved Mar^chal Duroc's life during
his first campaigns in Italy, when seized and con-
demned to death as an emigrant ; which was as-
serted to have been the cause of the great attach-
ment subsequently displayed by Duroc to him
until the hour of his death. Napoleon looked sur-
prisedy and replied, " No such thing — who told you
that tale r I said that I had heard the Marquis
Montchenu repeat it at a public dinner. '^ There
is not a word of truth in it,** replied Napoleon.
^ I took Duroc out of the artillery train when he
was a boy, and protected him until his death.
But I suppose Montchenu said this, because
Duroc was of an old family, which in that boob/s
eyes is the only source of merit. He despises
every body who has not as many hundred years
of nobility to boast of as himself. It was such as
Montchenu who were the chief cause of the revo-
lution. Before it, such a man as Bertrand, who
is worth an army of Montchenu*s, could not even
be a sous-lieutenanty while vieux enfans like him
would be generals. God help,** continued he,
^ the nation that is governed by such. In my
tim^ most of the generals, of whose deeds France
320 ▲ VOICB FROM ST. HBLSNA.
is SO proud, sprang from that very class of ple-
beians so much despised by him. It surprises
me,** added he, ^ that they have permitted the
Duchess of Reggio to be premiere dame to the
Duchess of Bern, as her husband was once a pri-
vate soldier, and did not spring from grande nais^
sancer I asked his opinion of the Duke of Reggio,
^^ A brave man,** replied Napoleon, '* Ma di poca
testa. He has been influenced latterly by his young
wife, who is of an old family, whose vanity and
prejudices she inherits. However," continued he,
" he offered his services after my return from
Elba, and took the oath of allegiance to me.** I
asked him if he thought that he was sincere. '^ It
might have been so, signor medico. If I had suc-
ceeded, I dare say he would have been.**
Napoleon vety busily employed in dictating his
memoirs to Counts Bertrand and Montholon.
Sir Hudson Lowe objected to allowing the pro-
duce of the last plate which had been disposed
of to be placed at the disposal of the French, al*
leging that it was too large a sum, viz. 295/., and
demanded an explanation of the manner in which
so large a sum of money was to be disposed of. It
appeared upon examination, that instead of hav*
ing 295/. disposable, there would be in reality
only a few pounds, as 85/. was due to Marchand,
45/. to Cipriani, 16/. to Gentilini, for money ad«
Tanced by them to purchase extra articles of food^
A YOICB FROM ST. HELBNA. 221
previous to the sale of the last plate : also 70/. to
Mr. Balcombe*s concern, 10/. to Le Page, and 20/.
to Archambaud, for fowls, &c.
2Qnd. — Orders sent up by Sir Hudson Lowe for
a fresh reduction in the allowance of meat and
wine-
Saw Baron Sturmer in the town, with whom I
had some conversation. He was very desirous of
seeing Napoleon, and informed me that Sir Hudson
Lowe, in granting the commissioners permission
to enter as far as the inner gate of Longwood, had
required them to pledge their honour that they
would not speak to Napoleon, without having first
obtained his permission.
23rd. — Sir Pulteney Malcolm arrived from the
Cape. Napoleon very anxious to obtain some
newspapers. Tried to procure some, but was in-
formed that the governor had got all that were to
be had.
25th. — ^On my return from town to Longwood,
met Sir Hudson Lowe, who was riding up and
down the road. ViTien I came near to his excel-
lency, he observed, with an air of triumph, " You
will meet your friend Las Cases in custody ."^ A
few minutes afterwards, met the count, under
charge of the governor's aid-de-camp, Prichard,
on his way to Hut's Gate. It had been eflfected
in the following manner : About three o'clock.
Sir Hudson Lowe, accompanied by Sir Thomas
223 A TOICS' FROM ST. HELBNaI
Reade^ Major Gorrequer, and three dragoonfF^
entered Longwood. Shortly afterwards, Captain
Blakeney and the minister of police followed*
them. Sir Hudson and Major Gorrequer rode
off a little to the left, while the others proceeded
to Captain Poppletotfs room, having first ordered
a corporal and party from the guard to follow
them up to the house. Sir Thomas ordered Cap-
tain Poppleton to send for Count Las Cases, who
was with Napoleon. After they had waited a
short time. Las Cases came out, and was arrested
while going into his room by Reade and the mi-
nister of police, who took possession of his clothes
and effects. His papers were sealed up by his^
son, who afterwards proceeded to Hufs Gate
under custody, where he remained with his father
in charge of an officer of the 66th regiment, with
orders not to be allowed to see any body, except
the governor and his staff. It appeared that the
count had given a letter, written upon silk, to Scott
his servant, with which he was to proceed to Eng-
land. Scott told this to his father, who had him
brought to a Mr. Barker, and from thence to the
governor, by whom, after undergoing an examina*
tion, he was committed to prison.
Saw Napoleon in the evening, who appeared to
have been wholly ignorant of Las Cases* inten-
tions. ''I am convinced,** said he, "however, that
there is nothing of consequence in the letter, as
SL VDICB FROM ST. HBLENA. 2S3
Las* Csaes is an honest man^ and too much' at
tached to me to undertake any thing of conse-
qnence without first having acquainted me with
his project. You may depend upon it that it is
some letter of complaints to Miledi about the con-
duct of this governor^ and the vexations which he
inflicts upon us, or to his banker, as he has four
or five thousand pounds in some banker's hands
in London, which I was to have had for my neces-
sities, and he did not like his letter to go through
the governor's hands, as none of us will trust
him. If Las Cases had made his project known
to me, I would have stopped him ; not that I dis-
approve of his endeavouring to make our situation
known, on the contrary ; but I disapprove of the
bungling manner in which he attempted it. For
a man of talent, like Las Cases, to make an am-
bassador of a slave, who could not read or write
to go upon a six months embassy to England^
where he never has been, knows nobody, and who,
unless the governor was a scioccone, would not be
permitted to leave the island, is to me incompre-
hensible. I can only account for it by supposing,
that the weight of afflictions which presses upon
us, together with the melancholy situation of his
son, condemned to die of an incurable malady,
have impaired his judgment. All this I wish to
be known. I am sorry for it, because people will
accuse me of having been privy to the plan, and
224 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBKA.
will have a poor opinion of my understanding ;
supposing me to have consented to so shallow a
plot. I would have recommended him to have
requested of some man of honour to make our
situation known in England^ and to have taken
a letter to the Prince Regent ; first asking him to
pledge his honour to observe secrecy if he did not
choose to perform it. If he betrayed us, so much
the worse for himself. Las Cases has with him
my campaigns in Italy, and all the official corre-
spondence between the admiral, governor, and
Longwood; and I am told that he has made a
journal, containing an account of what passes here,
with many anecdotes of myself. I have desired
Bertrand to go to Plantation House and ask for
them. It is the least interesting part of my life,
as it only relates the commencement of it ; but I
should not like this governor to have it.
" I am sure,** continued he, " that there is no-
thing of consequence in Las Cases' letter, or he
would have made me acquainted with it ; although
I dare say this * * * * will write a hundred false-
hoods to England about it. When in Paris, after
my return from Elba, I found in M. Blacas*s pri-
vate papers, which he left behind when he ran
away from the Thuilleries, a letter which had been
written in Elba by one of my sister Pauline*s
chamber-maids, and appeared to have been com-
posed in a moment of anger. Pauline is very
A'TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 225
handsome and gleeful. There was a description
of her habits, of her dress, her wardrobe, and of
every thing that she liked ; of how fond I was
of contributing to her happiness ; and that I had
raperintended the furnishing of her boudoir my-
self; what an extraordinaiy man I was; that one
night I had burnt my finger dreadfully, and had
merely poured a bottle of ink over it, without ap-
pearing to regard the pain, and many little hHises
true enough perhaps. This letter M. Blacas had
got interpolated with horrid stories ; in fact, insi-
naating that I slept with my sister; and in the
margin, in the hand-writing of the interpolator,
was written ' to be printed^ ^
26/A. — ^Napoleon in' his bath. Asked if I had
heard any thing more respecting Las Cases ; pro-
fessed his sorrow to lose him. ^' Las Cases,** said
he, *' is the only one of the French who can speak
English well, or explain it to my satisfaction. I
cannot now read an English newspaper. Madame
Bertrand understands English perfectly ; but you
know one cannot trouble a lady. Las Cases was
necessary to me. Ask the admiral to interest
himself for that poor man, who, I am convinced,
has not said as much as there was in Montholon*s
letter. He will die under all these afflictions, for
he has no bodily strength, and his unfortunate son
will finish his existence a little sooner.**
He asked if Madame Bertrand had not been
VOL. I. 2 a
226 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
unwell, and said he believed she suspected that
her mother was either dead or most alarmingly ill.
"Those Creoles," said he, "are very susceptible.
Josephine was subject to nervous attacks when in
affliction. Sh6 was really an amiable woman —
elegant, charming, and affable. Era la dama la
pill graziosa di Francla. She was the goddess of
the toilet, all the fashions originated with her ;
every thing she put on appeared elegant ; and she
was so kind, so humane — she was the best wo-
man in France."
He then spoke about the distress prevailing in
England, and said, that it was caused by the
abuses of the ministry. " You have done won-
ders,** said he ; " you have effected impossibilities,
I may say ; but I think that England, encumbered
with a national debt, which will take forty years
of peace and commerce to pay off, may be com-
pared to a man who has drunk large quantities of
brandy to give him courage and strength ; but af-
tei^wards weakened by the stimulus which had
imparted energy for the moment, he totters and
finally falls ; his powers entirely exhausted by the
unnatural means used to excite them.**
Some conversation then took place relative to
the battle of Austerlitz. Napoleon said, that prior
to the battle, the king of Prussia had signed the
coalition against him. '* Haugwitz,** said he,
•* came to inform me of it, and advised me to think
A YOICB FROM ST. HELBNA. 327
of peace. I replied, ' The event of the battle which
is approaching will decide every thing. I think
that I shall gain it, and if so, I will dictate such
a peace as answers my purposes. Now I will
hear nothing.* The event answered my expecta-
tion : I gained a victory so decisive, as to enable
me to dictate what terms I pleased." I asked him
if Haugwitz had been gained by him ? He replied,
^ No ; but he was of opinion that Prussia should
aever play the first fiddle (giuocare ilprimoruolo)
in the affairs of the continent ; that she was only
a second-rate power, and ought to act as such.
Even if I had lost the battle, I expected that
Prussia would not cordially join the allies, as it
would naturally be her interest to preserve an
equilibrium in Europe, which would not result
from her joining those who, on my being defeated,
would be much the strongest. Besides, jea-
lousies and suspicions would arise, and the allies
would not have trusted to the king of Prussia,
who had betrayed them before. I gave Hanover
to the Prussians," continued he, "on purpose to
embroil them with you, produce a war, and shut
you out from the continent. The king of Prussin
was blockhead enough to believe that he could
keep Hanover, and still remain at peace with you.
Like a madman, he made war upon me afterwards,
induced by the queen and prince Louis, with
some other young men, who persuaded him that
228 A VOICB FROM ST. helcna;
Prussia was strong enough, even without Russia.
A few weeks convinced him of the contrary." I
asked him what he would have done if the king of
Prussia had joined the allies with his army previ-
ous to the battle of Austerlitz ? " Ah, Mr. Doc-
tor, that would have entirely altered the face of
things."
He eulogized the king of Saxony, who he said
was a truly good man ; the king of Bavaria, a plain
good man ; the king of Wirtemberg, a man of
considerable talent, but unprincipled and wicked.
" Alexander and the latter," said he, ** are the only
sovereigns in Europe possessed of talents. Lord
* * * *, un jnauvais sujet^ nn agloteur. While nego-
ciating in Paris, he sent couriers away every day
to London, for the purposes of stock-jobbing,
which was solely what he interested himself about.
Had there been an honest man, instead of an in-
triguing stock-jobber, it is very likely the negotia^
tion would have succeeded. I was much grieved
afterwards to have had any affairs with such a
contemptible character." This was pronounced
with an air of disdain.
27M. — ^Napoleon very much concerned about
the treatment which Las Cases had suffered, and
the detention of his own papers. He observed, that
if there had been any plot in Las Cases* letter,
the governor could have perceived it in ten minutes
perusal. That in a few moments he could also
see that the campaigns of Italy, &c. contained
.A :TOIOE FEOM ST. HBLBNA. SS9
notlniig' treasonable ; and that it was ccmtrary to
all law to detidn pe^rs belonging to him (Napo-
leon)^ ^Perfaaps,"" said he^ ^^he will come up
here some day and say that he has received inti-
mation that a plot to effect my escape is in sigita-
tion. What guarantee have I, that when I have
nearly finished my history, he will not seize the
whole of it ? It is true that I can keep niy ma-
misciipts in my own room, and with a couple of
brace of pistols I can despatch the first who en-
ters. I must burn the whole of what I have
written. It served as an amusement Co me in this
dismal abode, and might perhaps have been inte-
resting to the world, but with this shirro Siciliano
there is no guarantee nor security. He violates
eveiy law^ and tramples under foot decency, po-
liteness, and the common forms of society. He
came up with a savage joy beaming from his eyes,
because he had an oppoitunity of insulting and
tormenting us. While surrounding the house
with his staff*, he reminded me of the savages of
the South Sea islands, dancing round the prisonera
whom they were going to devour. Tell him,"
continued he, *^ what I said about his conduct.**
For fear that I should forget, he repeated his ex-
pressions about the savages a second time, and
made me say it after him.
Went to Hut's Gate to see Sir Hudson Lowe,
who had sent a dragoon for me. On my arrival, his
230 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
exceUency told me that the campaigns of Italy,
and the official documents, would be sent to Long-
wood the following day, and desired me to teU
General Bonaparte that all his papers bad been
kept sacred, and that all his personal ones should
be returned. As to Lajs Cases' journal, he said
that he would have some conversation with Count
Bertrand concerning it.
I informed his excellency that Napoleon had
disclaimed all knowledge of the project which
Count Las Cases had formed, and added my own
conviction, that until the moment that the letters
had been arrested, he was wholly ignorant of his
intentions. Sir Hudson replied, that he acquitted
him of any knowledge of the matter, which he de-
sired me to tell him, and congratulated himself
much on his own discernment in the opinion he
had formed of Count Las Cases' servant.
Saw young Las Cases afterwards, who was very
unwell. During the time that I was examining
him professionally. Sir Thomas Reade remained
in the room. On my going out. Sir Thomas
said, that ** old Las Cases had been so imperti-
nent to the governor, that the latter had ordered
that he should not be permitted to see any person^
unless in the presence of some of the governors
staff.**
On my return, explained to Napoleon the gover-
nor's message, and informed him that I had seeB
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 231
part of his papers sealed up. When I said that
the governor had acquitted him of any participa-
tion in the business ; " if,'* said he, " I had known
of it, and had not put a stop to it, I should have
been worse than a pazzo da catena. I suppose he
thinks there was some plot for my escape. I can
safely say that I left Elba with eight hundred
men, and arrived at Paris, through France, with-
out any other plot than that of knowing the sen-
timents of the French nation."
He then sent for St. Denis, who had copied Las
Cases* journal, and asked him the nature of it.
St. Denis replied that it was a journal of every
thing remarkable that had taken place since the
embarkation on board of the Bellerophon ; and
contained divers anecdotes of different persons, of
Sir George Cockburn, &c. "How is he treated?**
says Napoleon, " Comme pa, Sire^ ^^ Has he said
that I called him a requinF' "Yes, Sire,** "Sir
George Bingham ?" " Very well spoken of, also
Colonel Wilks." " Is there any thing to compro-
mise any person ?" (naming three or four.) " No,
Sire.** " Any thing about Admiral Malcolm ?**
" Yes, Sire." " Does it say that I observed. Be-
hold the countenance of a real Englishman ?
" Yes, Sire, he is very well treated.** " Any thing
about the governor?" "A great deal. Sire,** re-
plied St. Denis, who could not help smiling,
•^ Does it say that I said, Cest un homme ignoble.
232 A VOICB FROM ST. RKLBNA.
and that his face was the most ignoble I had ever
seen ?** St. Denis replied in the affirmative^ bat
added^ that his expressions were very frequently
moderated. Napoleon asked if the anecdote of
the coffee-cup was in it ; St. Denis replied, he did
not recollect it. " Does it say that I called him,
^bire Sicilien F '* Out, Sire."^ ^^ Cest son nam^^
said the emperor.
Napoleon conversed aboat his brother Joseph,
whom he described as being a most excellent cha-
racter. " His virtues and talents are those of a
private character ; and for such, nature intended
him : he is too good to be a great man. H^ has
no ambition. He is very like me in person, but
handsomer. He is extremely well informed." On
all occasions I have observed that Napoleon spoke
of his brother Joseph in terms of warm aflTection.
29th. — Having been unwell for some days with
a liver complaint, a disease extremely prevalent,
and frequently fatal in the island ; and finding the
symptoms considerably aggravated by the fre-
quent journeys I was obliged to make to town
and Plantation House, I felt it necessary to ap-
ply to Dr. McLean of the 53rd regiment to bleed
me very profusely. Before the abstraction of
blood was well over. Sir Hudson Lowe came
into my apartment. I informed him that Napo*
leon had said, ^^ what guarantee can I have that
he will not come up some day when I have
A VaiCB JPROM' 8T. HBLBNA. 233
nearly finmbed my history, and under some pre-
text, seifse it 7^^ which he had desired might be
commanicated to him. Sir Hudson replied, " The
guarttitee of his good conduct T
Shortly: aft ei-wards I saw Napoleon in his dres-
sing-room. He was much pleased at having re-
ceived the campaigns of Italy, and added that he
would reclaim the other papers. " This gover-
nor,** said he, " if he had any delicacy, would not
have continued to read a work in which his con-
duct was depicted in its true light. He must have
been little satisfied with the comparisons made
between Gockbum and him, especially where it
is mentioned that I said the admiral was rough,
but incapable of a mean action ; but that his suc-
cesssor was capable of every thing that was ♦♦♦
and ♦ ♦ ♦. I am glad, however, that he has read
it, because he will see the real opinion that we
have of him.** While he was speaking, my vision
became indistinct, every thing appeared to swim
before my eyes, and I fell upon the floor in a
fainting fit. When I recovered my senses and
opened my eyes, the first object which presented
itself to my view, I shall never forget : it was the
countenance of Napoleon, bending over my face,
and regarding me with an expression of great
concern and anxiety. With one hand he was
opening my shirt-collar, and with the other, hold-
ing a bottle de vinaigre des guatre voleurs to my
VOL. I. 2 H
234 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
nostiils. He had taken off my cravat^ and dashed
the contents of a bottle of eau de Cologne over
my face. " 'When I saw you fall," said he, *^ I at
first thought that your foot had slipped ; but see-
ing you remain without motion, I apprehended
that it was a fit of apoplexy ; observing, however,
that your face was the colour of death, your
lips white and without motion, and no evident
respiration or bloated countenance, I concluded
directly that it was a fit of syncope, or that your
soul had departed.** Marchand now came into the
room, whom he ordered to give me some orange-
flower water, which was a favorite remedy of his.
When he saw me fall, in his haste he broke the
bell riband. He told me that he had lifted me up,
placed me in a chair, torn off my cravat, dashed
some eau de Cologne and water over my face,
&c., and asked if he had done right. I informed
him that he had done every thing proper, and as a
surgeon would have done under similar circum-
stances ; except that instead of allowing me to re-
main in a recumbent posture, he had placed me
in a chair. When I was leaving the room, I heard
him tell Marchand in an under-voice to follow me,
for fear I should have another fit.
December 1st. — Napoleon, after some inquiries
touching my health, and the effects of the mercury
upon me, observe^ that he wished Las Cases to
go away, as three or four months stay in St He«
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 235
lena would be of little utility either to Las Cases
or himself. The next^** said he, " to be removed
mider some pretext, will be Montholon, as they
see that he is a most useful and consoling friend
to me, and that he always endeavours to antici-
pate my wants. I am less unfortunate than them.
I see nobody ; they are subject to daily insults
and vexations. They cannot speak, they cannot
write, they cannot stir out without submitting to
degrading restrictions. I am sorry that two months
ago they did not all go. I have sufficient force to
recdst alone against all this tyranny. It is only
prolonging their agony to keep them here a few
months longer. After they have been taken away,
you will be sent off, et alors le crime sera con-
wmmd. They are subject to every caprice which
arbitrary power chooses to inflict, and are not
protected by any laws. He is at once geolier,
governor, accuser, judge, and sometimes execu-
tioner ; for example, when he seized that East
Indian, who was recommended by that brave
homme. Colonel Skelton, to General Montholon,
as a good servant. He came up here and seized
the man with his own hands under my windows.
He did justice to liimself certainly ; le metier dun
shire lui convient beaucoup mieux que celui de reprd-^
sentant dune grande nation. A soldier is better
oflf than they are, as, if he is accused, he must be
tried according to known forms before he can be
236 A ¥OiCB FnoM Mv w»mKj^
punished. In the worst dongeba » m EngUuifj^ a
prisoner is not denied prints papers and boo]«5>
Except obliging me to see bim, be has doiiee?ery
thing to annoy me.
'^Instead of allowing us to be sulj^ot to the
caprice of an individual^'' added he, ^^ there ^ught
to be a council composed of the admiral. Sir
George Bingham, and two members of the couildl^
to debate and decide upon the measures necessai|r
to be adopted towards us.**
3rd. — ^Napoleon sent for me at one x^fdookt
p. m. Found him in bed suffering from headaeh
and general uneasiness, which had been preceded
by shiverings. Had a little fever during the nighti
I recommended some remedies, and poiotod mit
in strong terms the necessity there was of his £oh
lowing my advice, and especially in taking exte^
cise, and my firm conviction, that in the contrary
case, he would soon be seized with an alarming
fit of illness. *^ Tanto megllo^ replied NapoleoB t
^^piu presto si Jinirar
4th. — ^Wrote an account of the state of Nap<^
Icon's health, and of the advice which I had given
him, to Sir Hudson Lowe. Napoleon somewhat
better. Observed that it was impossible for'him
to follow the recommendation I had given, to
take exercise ; first, on account of the restric-
tions, and next, the furious wind, or when^^that
was calmed, the want of shade at Longwood^^to
▲ • VOICB FROM ST. HBLKNA. 1^7
pnM>ect him from the rays of the tropical sun.
He: gave his opinions about Moreau and others.
'^ Moreau^** said he^ ^' was an excellent general of
division^ but not fit to command a large army.
With a hundred thousand men, Moreau would
divide his army in different positions, coven ng
loads^ and would not do more than if he had
only thirty thousand. He did not know how to
profit either by the number of his troops, or by
their positions. Very calm and cool in the field,
be was more collected and better able to com-
mand in the heat of an action than to make dispo-
sitions prior to it. He was often seen smoking his
pipe in battle. Moreau was not naturally a man
of a bad heart ; Un bon vivant, mats il riavait pas
beaucoup de caractere. He was led away by his
wife and another intriguing Creole. His having
joined Pichegru and Georges in the conspiracy,
and subsequently having closed his life fighting
against his country, will ever disgrace his memoiy.
As a general, Moreau was infinitely inferior to De-
saix, or to Kleber, or even to Soult. Of all the
generals I ever had under me, Desaix and Kleber
possessed the greatest talents ; especially Desaix,
as Kleber only loved glory, inasmuch as it was
the means of procuring him riches and pleasures,
whereas Desaix loved glory for itself, and despised
every thing else. Desaix was wholly wrapt up in
war and glory. To him riches and pleasure were
238 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
valueless^ nor did he give them a moment's thouglit.
He was a little black-looking man, about an inch
shorter than I am, always badly dressed, some-
times even ragged, and despising comfort or con-
venience. When in Egypt, 1 made him a present
of a complete field-equipage several times, but he
always lost it. Wrapt up in a cloak, Desaix threw
himself under a gun, and slept as contentedly as if
he were in a palace. For him luxury had no
charms. Upright and honest in all his proceed-
ings, he was called by the Arabs, the just sultan.
He was intended by nature for a great general.
Kleber and Desaix were a loss irreparable to
France. Had Kleber lived, your army in Egypt
would have perished. Had that imbecile Menou,
attacked you on your landing with twenty thou-
sand men, as he might have done, instead of the
division Lanusse, your army would have been
only a meal for them. You were seventeen or
eighteen thousand strong, without cavalry."
"Lasnes, when 1 first took him by the hand^
was an ignorantaccto. His education had been
much neglected. However,*^.he improved gr^tly ;
and to judge from the astonishing"' pfbgress^e
made, he would have been a general of the first
class. He had great experience in war. Had
been in fifty-four pitched battles, and in three hun-
dred combats of different kinds. He was a man
of uncommon bravery ; cool in the midst of fire ;
A TOICB FROM ST. UELfiNA. 239
and possessed of a clear and penetrating eye, ready
to taJce advantage of any opportunity which might
present itself. Violent and hasty in his expres*
sions, sometimes even in my presence ; he was ar«
dently attached to me. In the midst of his anger
he would not suffer any person to join him in his
remarks. On that account, when he was in a cho-
leric mood, it was dangerous to speak to him, as he
used to come to me in his rage, and say, that such
and such persons were not to be trusted. As a gene-
ral he was greatly superior to Moreau or to Soult.**
•^Massena,** said he, "was a man of superior
talent. He generally, however, made bad dispo-
sitions previous to a battle ; and it was not until
the dead fell around him that he began to act
with that judgment which he ought to have
displayed before. In the midst of the dying and
the dead, of balls sweeping away those who en-
circled him, then Massena was himself; gave his
orders, and made his dispositions with the greatest
sangfroid and judgment. This is, la vera nohilta
di sangue.* It was truly said of Massena, that he
never began to act with judgment until the battle
was going against him. He was, however, vn
voleur. He went halves along with the contrac-
tors and commissaries of the army. I signified to
him often, that if he would discontinue his pecu-
lations, I would make him a present of eight hun-
* True noblenoM of blood.
240 A VOIGS FROM 8T« HBLENA.
dred thousand^ or a million of francs ; but he had
acquired such a habit, that he could lurt keep his
hands from money. On this account he was hated
by the soldiers, who mutinied against him three or
four times. However, considering the circum-
stances of the times, he was precious ; and had not
his bright parts been soiled with the vice of ava-
rice, he would have been a great man."
*^ Pichegru," continued Napoleon, *' was ripi*
titeur at Brienne, and instructed me in mathe-
matics, when I was about ten years old. He pos-
sessed considerable knowledge in that science.
As a general, Picliegru was a man of no ordinary
talent, far superior to Moreau, although he had
never done any thing extraordinarily great, as the
success of the campaigns in Holland was in a great
measure owing to the battle of Fleurus. Pichegrii,
after he had united himself to the Bourbons, sa-
crificed the lives of upwards of twenty thousand
of his soldiers, by throwing them purposely into
the enemy's hands, whom he had informed before
hand of his intentions. He had a dispute once
with Kleber, at a time when, instead of marching
his army upon Mayence, as he ought to have
done, he marched the greatest part of them to
another point, where Kleber observed that it
would only be necessary to send the ambulances
with a few men to make a shew. At that time,
it was thought to be imbecility, but afterwards it
A rmcm noM sr. hblbna. 241
discovered to be treachery. One of Fiche-
gni8 projects was for Louis to come and join the
army under his command, and to cause himself
to be proclaimed king. To insure success, he
fiignified to Liouis that it was necessary for him to
bring a large sum of money ; as he said that f^ive
le Roi lay at the bottom of the gosier, and that it
would require a great quantity of wine to bring it
oat of the mouth. If LiOuis had come/ continued
he, '^ he would have been shot.*'
Sir Hudson Lowe came up to Longwood.
and observed to me, that General Bonaparte had
adopted a very bad mode of procedure, by in a
manner declaring war against him (Sir Hudson),
when he was the onfy person who had it in his
power to render him a service, or to make his
dtuation comfortable. Count Las Cases had, he
saidy much altered his opinion concerning him
once the intercourse they had had together, and
no longer looked upon him in the light of an arbi-
trary tyrant, who did every thing to annoy them ;
which change of opinion the count had signified
to him ; and confessed that they had represented
every thing to General Bonaparte ^^par un voile
de sangr* That 1 had better try to remove
any &lse impressions under which General Bo*
naparte might labour. He then asked me if I
had ever signified to General Bonaparte that the
* Sir Httdfon Lowe's own words.
VOL. L 2 I
242 ▲ VOICB FROM m hslbna*
French who were with him only wanted to make
an instrument of him to aggrandize themselves^
without caring by what means they efifected it?
I replied, that certainly I never had signified any
thing of the kind to him ; but that I had always
laboured to undeceive him, whenever I perceived
that he was misinformed. Sir Hudson Lowe
said, that the ministers would hold me in some
degree accountable, that General Bonaparte was
correctly informed of every thing; and that no
false colourings, misrepresentations, or malicious
constructions were put upon what was done.
His excellency then made some remarks upon
*^ General Bonaparte's constantly confining him-
self to his room/* and asked what I supposed
would induce him to go out ? I replied, an en-
largement of his boundaries, taking off some of
the restrictions, and giving him a house at the
other side of the island. He had frequently
complained that he could not walk out at Long*
wood, without getting a pain in his head from the
sun, as there was no shade ; or if the rays of the
sun were obscured, his cheeks became inflamed ; or
a catarrh was produced by the sharp wind blowing
over an elevated spot without shelter. I observed
also, that the allowance of provision was totally
insufficient, as the French laid out seven or eight
pounds a day in articles which were indispensable ;
and which I enumerated. Sir Hudson Lowe
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 943
answered, '* that with respect to this last, he hfid
exceeded by one half what was allowed by thd
ministers, who were answerable to parliament that
the expenses of Longwood did not exceed' eight
thousand pounds per annum, and that perhaps
he (Sir Hudson) might be obliged hereafter to pay
the surplus out of his own salary. That his in^
structions were much more rigid that those of his
predecessor. But unfortunately General Bona-
parte had thought thc'it he had come out furnished
with instructions of a much more lenient nature
than those of the admiral ; when the fact was
directly the reverse. That all his actions had
been misconstrued and misrepresented, and mali«
cious constructions put upon them. That the
British government did not wish to render Gene-
ral Bonaparte's existence miserable, or to torture
him. That it was not so much himself (Bonapai-te)
they were afraid of; but that turbulent and dis-
affected people in Europe would make use of his
name and influence to excite rebellion and dis-
turbances in France and elsewhere, in order to
aggrandize themselves, and otherwise answer their
own purposes ; also, that Las Cases was very well
treated, and wanted for nothing." This he desired
I would communicate to General Bonaparte.
I communicated some of those remarks of the go-
vemoi's to Napoleon, who replied, "I do not believe
that he acts according to his instructions ; or if he
S44 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
does, be has disgraced himself hy accepting a dis*
honourable employment. A government two thou-
sand leagues off^ and ignorant of the localities of
the island^ can never give orders in detail ; they
can only give general and discretionary ones.
They have only directed him to adopt every mea-
sure he may think necessary to prevent my escape.
Instead of that^ I am treated in a manner disho-
norable to humanity. To kill and bury a man
is well understood, but this slow torture, this
killing in detail, is much less humane than if they
ordered me to be shot at once. I have often
heard," continued he, " of the tyranny and oppres-
sions practised in your colonies ; but I never
thought that there could exist such violations of
law and of justice, as are practised here. From
what I have seen of you English, I think there is
not a nation on earth more enslaved ; as I told Co-
lonel Wilks, the former governor of this island.**
Here 1 observed, that 1 begged of him not to form
his opinion of the English nation by a little co-
lony, placed under peculiar circumstances, and
subject to military law ; that to judge correctly of
England, one must be Mere, and there he would
see how little a person with a brown, or a black
coat, cared about the ministers. ^^So said the
old colonel/* replied Napoleon, '* but I only
speak of you as I have seen you, and I find joa
to be the greatest slaves upon earth. All tremr
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 24&
bling with fear at the sight of that governor. There
is Sir Greorge Bingliam^ who is a well disposed
man^ yet he is so much afraid, that he will not
eome and see me^ through fear that he miglit give
umbrage to the governor : the rest of the officers
ran away at the sight of us.** I observed that it
was not fear, but delicacy, which prevented Sir
George Bingham from coming, and that as to the
other officers, they must obey the orders which they
had received. Napoleon replied, " If they were
French officers, they would not be afraid of ex-
pressmg their opinion as to the barbarity of the
treatment pursued here ; and a French general,
second in command, would, if be saw his country
dishonoured in the manner yours is, write a com-
plaint of it himself to his government. As to my-
self," continued he, ^ I would never make a com-
plaint, if I did not know, that were an inquiry
demanded by the nation, your ministers would
say," * he has never complained, and therefore he is
conscious that he is well treated, and that there are
no grounds for it.* Otherwise, I should conceive it
degrading to me to utter a word ; though I am so
disgusted with the conduct of this sbirro, that I
should, with the greatest pleasure, receive the in-
timation that orders had arrived to shoot me — I
should esteem it a blessing.**
I observed that Sir Hudson Lowe had pro-
filed himself very desirous to accommodate and
246 A TOICB FROM ST. HBLKNA.
arrange matters in an amicable manner. Napo-
leon replied, " If be wisbes to aecommodate,
let bim put tbings upon tbe same footing tbey
were during tbe time of Admiral Cockbum. Let
no person be permitted to enter bere for tbe pur*
pose of seeing me, witbout a letter from Ber-
trand. If be does not like to give Bertrand liberty
to pass people in, let bim make out a list bimself
of sucb persons in tbe island as be will allow to
visit, and send it to Bertrand, and let tbe latter
have tbe power to grant tbem permission to enter,
and to write to tbem. Wben strangers arrive,
in like manner let bim make out a list of such
as be will permit to see us, and during their
stay, let tbem be allowed to visit with Bertrand^s
pass. Perhaps I should see very few of them, as
it is difficult to distinguish between those who
come up to see me as they would a wild boar^
and others, who are actuated by motives of re*
spect; but still, I should like to have the privilege.
It is for him to accommodate if he likes ; be has
the power, I have none ; I am not governor, I
have no places to give away. Let him take off his
prohibitions that I shall not quit the high road, or
speak to a lady if I meet one. In a few words,
che si comporti bene verso di me, (let him behave
well to me). If he does not choose to treat me
like a man, che ha giuocato un ruolo nel mondo
come quel che ho giuocato to, let him not treat me
A VOICB FlIOM ST. HSUBNiU 247
worse than a galley-slaTe or a condemned crimi«
nal^ as they are not prohibited to speak. Let
him do this^ and then I will say that he acted at
first inconsiderately^ through fear of my escap-
ing, but that when he saw his error, he was not
ashamed to alter his treatment. Then J will say,
that I formed a hasty opinion of him ; that I have
been mistaken. Ma siete un bambino, dottore,
(you are a child, doctor) ; you have too good an
opinion of mankind. This man is not sincere. I
bdieve the opinion I first formed of him is correct,
that he is a man whose natural badness is increas-
ed by suspicion and dread of the responsibility
of the situation which he holds, C'est un komme
retors, abject^ et tout a fait au-dessous de son emploi.
I would wager my life," continued he, " that if I
sent for Sir George Bingham, or the admiral, to
ride out with me, before I had gone out three times
with either the one or the other, this governor
would make some insinuations to them which
would render me liable to be affronted, by their re-
fusing to accompany me any longer. He says that
Las Cases is well treated, and wants for nothing ;
because he does not starve him. C'est un komme
vraiment ignoble. He degrades his own species ;
he pays no attention to the moral wants which dis-
tinguish the man from the brute ; he only looks to
the physical and grosser ones. Just as if Las
Cases were a horse, or an ass, and that a bundle
248 A TOICB FROM ST^ HKLBKi.
of hay was sufficient to entitle him to say, he is
happy; hecause his belly was full^ therefore all
his wants were satisfied.**
Sth. — Had a long conversation with the empe-
ror in his bath. Asked his opinion of the Empe-
ror Alexander, ^^(Test un homme extremement fattx.
Un Grec du bos empire^' replied Napoleon. ^* He
is the only one of the three,* who has any talent.
He is plausible, a great dissimulator, very ambi-
tious, and a man who studies to make himself
popular. It is his foible to believe himself skilled
in the art of war, and he likes nothing so well as
to be complimented upon it, although every thing
that originated with himself, relative to military
operations, was ill-judged and absurd. At Tilsit,
Alexander and the King of Prussia used fre-
quently to occupy themselves in contriving dresses
for dragoons ; debating upon what button the
crosses of the orders ought to be hung, and such
other fooleries. They fancied themselves on an
equality with the best generals in Europe, be-
cause they knew how many rows of buttons there
were upon a dragoon's jacket. I could scarcely
keep from laughing sometimes, when I heard
them discussing these coglionerie with as much
gravity and earnestness as if they were planning
an impending action between two hundred thou-
sand men. However, I encouraged them in th^
* Alexander^ Franoii, and the kii^ of Fraslai
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 249
argmnents as I saw it was their weak point. We
rode out every day together. The king of Prussia
was une hite, et rums a tellement ermuy^s, that
Alexander and myself frequently galloped away
in order to get rid of him.*
Napoleon afterwards recounted to me some
part of his early life : said^ that after having been
at school at Brienne^ he was sent to P^ris, at the
age of fifteen or sixteen, " where at the general ex-
amination,** continued he, "being found to have
l^ven the best answers in mathematics, I was ap-
pointed to the artillery. After the revolution,
about one-third of the artillery officers emigrated,
and I became chef de hataillon at the siege of
Toulon ; having been proposed by the artillery
officers themselves as the person who, amongst
them, possessed the most knowledge of the science.
During the siege I commanded the artillery, di-
rected the operations against the town, and took
O'Hara prisoner, as I formerly told you. After
the siege, I was made commandant of the artillery
of the army of Italy, and my plans caused the
capture of many considerable fortresses in Pied-
mont and Italy. Before my return to Paris I was
made general, and a command in the army of La
Vendue offered to me, which I refused, and i-eplied
that such a command was only fit for a geneml
of gendarmerie. On the 13th of Vendemiaire, I
commanded the army of the convention in Paiis
VOL. I. 2 k
230 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
against the sections^ whom I defeated after an ac-
tion of a few minutes. Subsequently I got the
command of the army of Italy^ where I established
my reputation. Nothing,** continued he, " has
been more simple than my elevation. It was not
the result of intrigue or crime. It was owing to
the peculiar circumstances of the times, and be-
cause I fought successfully against the enemies of
my country. What is most extraordinary, and I
believe unparalleled in histoiy, is, that I rose from
being a private person to the astonishing height
of power I possessed, without having committed
a single crime to obtain it. If I were on my death-
bed, I could make the same declaration.**
I asked if it were true that he was indebted to
Barras for employment at Toulon, and if he had
ever offered his services to the English. ^^Both
are false,** replied Napoleon. " I had no con-
nexion with Barras until after the affair of Toulon.
It was to Gasparin, deputy for Orange, and a man
of talent, to whom I was chiefly indebted for pro-
tection at Toulon, and support against a set of
ignorantacci sent down by the convention. I
never in my life offered my services to England,
nor ever intended it. Nor did I ever intend to go
to Constantinople : all those accounts sont des
romans. 1 passed a short time with Paoli in Cor-
sica, in the year y who was very partial to me,
and to whom I was then much attached. Paoli
A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA. 251
espoused the cause of the English faction, and 1
that of the French, and consequently most of my
family were driven away from Coreica. Paoli
often patted me on the head, saying, ^ you are one
of Plutarch*s men.' He divined that I should be
something extraordinary.** Of General Dugom-
mier, he spoke as a personal friend in terms of
great affection, describing him to be a brave and
mtrepid officer, who had judgment enough to carry
into execution the plan proposed by him, in oppo-
sition to those directed by the committee of public
safetv.
He spoke about the expedition to Copenhagen,
** That expedition,** said he, " shewed great energy
on the part of your ministers : but setting aside
the violation of the laws of nations which you
committed, for in fact it was nothing but a rob-
bery, I think that it was injurious to your inte-
I'ests, as it made the brave Danish nation irrecon**
cileable enemies to you, and in fact shut you out
of the north for three years. When 1 heard of it,
I s£ud, I am glad of it, as it will embroil England
irrecoverably with the northern powers. The
Danes being able to join me with sixteen sail of
the line was of but little consequence. I had
plenty of ships, and only wanted seamen, whom
you did not take, and whom I obtained afterwards ;
while by the expedition your ministers established
their characters as faithless, and as persons with
252 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA,
whom no engagements, no laws, were binding,"
" During the war with you," said he, " all tJie
intelligence I received from England came through
the smugglers. Tliey are terrible people, and
have courage and ability to do any thing for mo-
ney. They had at first a part of Dunkerque al-
lotted to them, to which they were restricted ; but
as they latterly went out of their limits, committed
riots, and insulted eveiy body, I ordered Grave-
lines to be prepared for their reception, where
they had a little camp for their accommodation,
beyond which they were not permitted to go. At
one time there were upwards of five hundred of
them in Dunkerque. 1 had every information I
wanted through them. They brought over newspa-
pers and despatches from the spies that we had
in London. They took over spies from France,
landed and kept them in their houses for some
days, then dispersed them over the country, and
brought them back when wanted. The police had
in pay a number of French emigrants, who gave
constant information of the actions of the Vendean
party, Georges, and others, at the time they were
preparing to assassinate me. All their movements
were made known. Besides, the police had in
pay many English spies, some of high quality,
amongst whom there were many ladies. There
was one lady in particular of very high rank who
furnished considerable information, and was some-
A TOICR PROM ST. HELENA. 253
times paid so high as three thousand pounds in
one month. They came over,'' continued he, " in
t>oats not broader than this bath. It was really
astonishing to see them passing your seventy-four
gun ships in defiance.** I observed, that they
were double spies and that they brought intelli-
gence from France to the British government.
"That is very likely,** replied Napoleon. "They
brought you newspapers; but I believe, that as
spies, they did not convey much intelligence to
you. They are genti terrihW^ and did great mis-
chief to your government. They took from France
annually forty or fifty millions of silks and brandy.
They assisted the French prisoners to escape from
England. The relations of Frenchmen, prisoners
in your country, were accustomed to go to Dnn-
kerque, and to make a bargain with them to bring
over a certain prisoner. All that they wanted was
the name, age, and a private token, by means of
which the prisoner might repose confidence in
them. Generally, in a short time afterwards, they
eflFected it ; as, for men like them, they had a great
deal of honour in their dealings. They offered
several times to bring over Louis and the rest of
the Bourbons for a sum of money ; but they
wanted to stipulate, that if they met with any ac-
cident, or interruption to their design, they might
be allowed to massacre them. This I would not
consent to. Besides, I despised the Bourbons too
254 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
much, and had no fear of them : indeed, at thai
time, they were no more thought of in France
than the Stuarts were in England. They also offer-
ed to bring over Dumourier, Sarrazin, and others,
whom they thought I hated, but I held them in too
much contempt to take any trouble about them."
This conversation was brought about by my
telling him that Lefebvre Desnouettes had ar-
rived at New York, and was with his brother
Joseph ; when I asked if Lefebvre had not broken
his parole in England. Napoleon replied that he
had, and then observed, " A great deal has been
said about French officers having been employed
after having broken their parole in England.
Now the fact is, that the English themselves were
the first to break their parole at a time when
twelve of them ran away. I proposed afterwards
to your ministers, that both governments should
reciprocally send back every prisoner of whatso-
ever rank he might be, who had broken his parole
and escaped. This they refused to do, and I be-
came indifferent about it. I did not receive at
court those who escaped ; or encourage them, nor
discourage them, after this refusal. Your minis-
ters made a great fuss (chiasso) about officers
who broke their parole having been employed in
my armies, although they refused to agree to the
only measure which could put a stop to it, viz,
that both sides should send them back imme-
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 255
diately ; and afterwards had the impudence to at*
tempt to throw all the odium upon me. But you
English can never do any wrong.**
I asked if he thought that the expedition to
Walcheren, might, if it had been well conducted,
have taken Antwerp ? Napoleon replied, '^ I am
of opinion, that if you had landed a few thousand
men at first at Williamstadt, and marched directly
for Antwei'p, that between consternation, want of
preparation, and the uncertainty of the number of
assmlants, you might have taken it by a coup de
main. But after the fleet had got up it was impos-
sible; as the crews of the ships, united to the na-
tional guard, workmen, and others, amounted to
upwards of fifteen thousand men. The ships would
have been sunk, or taken into the docks, and the
crews employed upon the batteries. Besides,
Antwerp, though old, is strongly fortified. It is
true that Lord Chatham did every thing possible
to insure the failure of the object of the expedi-
tion ; but after the delay of a few days, it would
have been impossible for any man to have effected
it. You had too many and too few men ; too
many for a couf de main, and too few for a regular
siege. The inhabitants were all against you ; as
they saw clearly that your object was to get pos-
session of the town, to burn and destroy every
thing, and then go to your ships and get away.
It was a very bad expedition for you. Your mi-
nisters were very badly informed about the coun-
5256 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
try. You had afterwards the betise to remedn in
that pestilential place, until you lost some thou-
sands of men. (Tdtait le comhle de la hetlse (st de
Vinhumanite.* I was very glad of it, as I knew
that disease would carry you off by thousands^
and oblige you to evacuate it without any exer-
tion being made on my part. I sent none but de-
serters and mauvais sujets to garrison it, and gave
orders that they should sleep in two frigates I
had sent there for that purpose. I also had water
conveyed to them at a great expense, but still
it was most unhealthy. The general who com-
manded Flushing,'* added he, " did not defend
it as long as he ought to have done. He had
made a large fortune by the smugglers (as there
was another depot of them there) and had been
guilty of some mal-practices, for which he was
afraid of being brought to a court-martial, and I
believe was glad to get away."
I asked him if it were true th<at a Corsican,
named Masseria, had been sent with some pro-
posals to him once by our government ? Napoleon
replied, " Masseria ? Yes, I recollect perfectly
well that he was brought to me when I was first
consul. He was introduced with great mystery
and secrecy into my room, when 1 was in a bath,
as I am now. I think he began to speak about
some political matters, and to make some insi-
nuations about peace, but I stopped him, as it
* It WM the height of idiotism and of inhumanitjr.
A VOICE FROM BT. HELENA. 257
had been published in the English papers^ that
he was coming upon some mission to me^ which
I did not like. Besides, Masseria, though un hron
vissimo uomo, was a great havard. I believe that
he was sent by King George himself. He was
a republican, and maintained that the death of
Charles the first was just and necessary.**
Lady Lowe came up to Longwood, and for the
first time paid a visit to Countesses Bertrand and
Montholon. ^^
6/A. — ^Napoleon observed to me that the visit
of Lady Lowe yesterday appeared to him to be an
artifice of her husband, per gettar la polvere negli
occhi (to throw dust in the eyes) ; to make people
believe that notwithstanding the arrest of Las
Cases, the governor was very well at Longwood,
and had only done his duty ; and that there was
no foundation for the reports which had been
spread of the ill treatment said to be inflicted upon
the inhabitants of Longwood. I informed him that
Lady Lowe had been always desirous to call
upon Countesses Bertrand and Montholon, and
had embraced the first opportunity which pre-
sented itself after her accouchement. Napoleon
replied, ^' I am far from thinking that she parti-
cipates in the designs of her husband, but she has
badly chosen the time. At the moment when he
treats Las Cases so barbarously and illegally he
sends her up. It is either an artifice of her hus-
VOL. I. 2 L
258 A VOICE FROM ST. HSLBNA.
band's to blind the world, or else he mocks our
misfortunes. Nothing is so insulting as to add
irony to injury.** I observed, that more probably
it was a preliminary step of the governor's towards
an accommodation. " No," replied Napoleon,
^^ that cannot be. If he really wished to accom-
modate, the first step would be to take away
some of his useless and oppressive restrictions.
Yesterday, after his wife had been here, Madame
Bertrand and family went out to walk. On their
return, they were stopped and seized by the sen-
tinels, who refused to let them in because it was
six o'clock. Now, in he name of God, if he had a
mind to accommodate, would he continue to pre-
vent us from walking at the only time of the day
when, at this season it is agreeable. Tell him,^
continued Napoleon, " candidly the observations
I have made, if he asks you what I thought of the
visit."
7th. — ^Wrote to Sir Hudson Lowe a statement
of what Napoleon had informed me on the 4th
inst. would be the best mode of effecting wl ac-
commodation.
Had a long conversation with Napoleon upon
the anatomy of the human body. He desired to
see some anatomical plates, which I explained to
him. He informed me that at one time he had
tried to study anatomy, but that he had been dis*
gusted with the sight and the smell of the sub*
A TOICS FROM 8T» HELBRAi. 259
jects. I observed^ that plates only served to re*
mind A person of what he had already learned
from actual dissection ; for which last they could
never be entirely substituted. In this Napoleon
(lerfectly agreed with me^ and gave me some ac-
count of the great encouragement which be had
given to the schools of anatomy and surgery; land
of the facilities which he had afforded to liiedkd
Miidehts to learn their profession at a trifling etr
pense.
Heard him express some opinions afterwards
relative to a few of the characters who had figfunefl
in the revolution. ^^ Robespierre,** said he, . "thpu^
a blood-thirsty monster, was not so. bad as CioUpt
d*Herbois, Billaud de Varennes, Hebert, Fouqiiier
Unville, and many others. Latterly Robespierre
wished to be more moderate ; and actually some
time before his death said that he was tired of
executions, and suggested moderation. When He-
bert accused the queen de contrarier la nature,
Robespierre proposed that he should be denounc*
ed, as having made such an improbable accusa-
tion purposely to excite a sympathy amongst the
people, that they might rise and rescue her. From
the beginning of the revolution, Louis had con-
stantly the life of Charles the First before his eyes.
The example of Charles, who had come to extre-
mities with the parliament and lost his head, pre-
vented Louis on many occasions from making
260 A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
the defence which he ought to have done ag^nst
the revolutionists. When brought to trial, he
ought merely to have said, that by the laws he
could do no wrong, and that his person was sacred.
TThe queen ought to have done the same. It would
have had no effect in saving their lives ; but they
would have died with more dignity. Robespierre
was of opinion that the king ought to have been
despatched privately. ^What is the use,* said
Robespierre^ ^ of this mockery of forms, when you
go to the trial prepared to condemn him to deaths
whether he deserves it or not.' The queen," added
Napoleon, ^^ went to the scaffold with some sen-
sations of joy ; and truly it must have been a re-
lief to her to depart from a life in which she was
treated with such execrable barbarity. Had I,**
continued he, *' been four or five years older, I
have no doubt that I should have been guillotined
along with numbers of others."
Sth. — ^Napoleon in a bath. — Conversed at length
about the situation of England, which he imputed
entirely to the imbecility of Lord Castlereagh.
" If," said he, '* your ministers had paid attention
to the interests of the country, instead of intriguing,
they would have rendered you the most b^ppy,
and the most flourishing nation in the world. At
the conclusion of the war they should have said
to the Spanish and Portugueze governments, ^ we
have saved your country, we alone have supported
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 861
you^ and prevented you from falling a prey to
France. We have made many campaigns, and
shed our best blood in your cause. We have ex-
pended many millions of money, and consequently
the country is overburdened with debt on i/aur
account, which we must pay. You have the
means of repajdng us. Our situation requires that
we should liquidate our debts. We demand,
therefore, that we shall be the only nation allowed
to trade with South America for twenty years ;
and that our ships shall have the same privilege
as Spanish vessels. In this way we will reim-
burse ourselves without distressing you.* Who,**
continued he, ^ could say no to this. France is
now nothing. Besides, to tell the truth, it would
be only a just demand, and none of the allied
powers could deny your right to exact it; for it
was through you alone, and the energy which
you displayed, that both Spain and Portugal
did not fall. You might have asked, * who saved
Portugal ? who alone assisted you with men and
money, besides having saved your existence as
a nation ?* In this way you would have had
your manufacturers thriving ; your sailors em-
ployed in your own ships instead of starving, or
being forced to seek a livelihood with foreign
powers : your canaille would have been contented
and happy, instead of being obliged to have re-
course to subscriptions to keep them from starva-
262 A VOICB FROM 8T. HBLBNA,
tion. As it now is> France will soon have the
trade of the Brazils ; you have in your own co-
lonies more cotton and sugar than you want, and
consequently will not take the productions of
the Brazils in exchange for your merchandise.
Now the French will ; for Martinique cannot sup-
ply a quantity sufficient for the consumption of
France. They will exchange their manufactured
goods, silks, furniture, wines, &c. against co*
lonial produce, and soon have the whole trade of
the Brazils. In like manner they will have the
preference in trading with the Spanish colonies;
partly on account of the religion, and also because
the Spaniards, like other nations, are jealous of a
people all-powerful at sea, and will constantly
assist to lessen that power ; which is most effectu-
ally to be done by lessening your commerce.
Another piece of folly in your ministers was
the allowing any nation but yourselves to trade
with India ; particularly the Dutch, who will be
your greatest enemies ; and probably beforle twenty
years, when France has recovered herself, you
will see the Dutch unite with her to humble you.
If you had made those demands they must have
been granted ; and the powers of Europe would
not have been more jealous of you than they are
now, and always will be, as long as you have ab-
solute power over the seas, and insist upon tbe
right of search, and other articles of your maritime
A/ TOICS FSOM 6T. HELENA; 263
code. You would then have the means of keep*
ing np your maritime empire, which most decay
if you have not more commerce than the rest of
the world. But your ministers have had false
ideas of things. Hiey imagined that they could
inundate the continent with your merchandise,
and find a ready sale. No, no t the world is
now more illuminated.* Even the Russians wiU
say, ^why should we enrich this nation, to ena-
ble lier to I keep up a monopoly and tyranny of
the seas, while our own manufacturers are nu-
merous and skilful Y You will,** continued he,
f .find that in a few years very little English mer-
chandise will be sold on the continent.-f- I gave a
ne4r era to manufactories. The French already
ercd you in the manufactory of cloths and many
other articles. The Hollanders in cambric and
linen. I formed several thousand. I established
the Ecok Polytechniqucy from which hundreds of
able chemists went to the different manufactories.
In each of them, I caused a person well skilled in
chemistry to reside. In consequence, every thing
proceeded upon certain and established princi-
ples ; and they had a reason to give for every part
of their operations ; instead of the old vague and
* A perusal of the tariff just promulgated b^ Russia will shew how
Japhetic this opinion was.
t The wfade of this conversation was communicated bj- me to offi-
oal persons. in London shortly after it took pUoe.
264 A VOICB FROM 6T. HBLBNA^
uncertain mode. Times are changed^** continued
Napoleon^ '^ and you must no longer look to the
continent for the disposal of your manufactures.
America, the Spanish and Portuguese main, are
the only vent for them. Recollect what I say to
you. In a year or two your people will complain^
and say, ' we have gained every thing, but we are
starving : we are worse than we were during the
war.' Then perhaps your ministers will endeavour
to effect what they ought to have done at first.
You are not able," continued he, '* to face even
Prussia in the field, and your preponderance on
the continent was entirely owing to that naval
sovereignty which perhaps you may lose by this
military disease of your ministers. England has
played for all or for nothing, {ha giuocato per tutto
o per niente). She has gained all, effected impos*
sibilities, yet has nothing ; and her people are
starving, and worse than they were during the
midst of the war ; while France, who has lost
every thing, is doing well, and the wants of her
people are abundantly supplied. France has got
fat, notwithstanding the liberal bleedings which
she has had ; while England is like a man who
has had a false momentary strength given to him
by intoxicating liquors, but who, after their effect
ceases, sinks into a state of debility."
lOth. — ^Water very scarce at Longwood. Sir
Hudson Lowe gave directions that the horses of
4 VOICB FROM ST. HBLENA« 265
«
the establishment should be ridden to water to
Hut*s Gate^ instead of getting it from the tubs that
were placed for the use of Napoleon's house-
hold. The water in them is extremely muddy,
green, and nauseous. In Deadwood it is much
more easy to get a bottle of wine than one of
water. Parties of the 53d are employed daily in
rolling butts of water to their camp. It reminded
me of my former residence in Egypt, where we
were obliged to buy bad water at an exorbitant
rate.
Charles, a mulatto servant, discharged from
Longwood. Orders g^ven by Sir Hudson Lowe
that he should be sent to his house. Underwent
a long interrogation from his excellency as to
what he had seen and heard during the time he
had been at Longwood. Application made to
the governor by the orderly officer to allow a cart
for the purpose of bringing water to the establish-
ment, that in the tubs being so very scanty and
bad.
Napoleon rather melancholy, and annoyed,
that instead of the whole of the campaigns of
Italy having been returned by Sir Hudson Lowe,
only three or four chapters had been sent. De-
sired me to tell Sir Hudson Lowe that he sup-
posed he was getting them copied, and that ac-
cording as they were finished, he would send
them back.
llth. — ^Went to Plantation House^ and ac-
VOL. I. 2 m
266 A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA*
qnainted Sir Hadson Lowe with the message I
was charged to deliver to him. His excellency
waxed very wroth, and said, " that if General Bo-
naparte persisted in his belief that the papers had
been kept for the purpose of copying ; after the
assurance to the contrary, which he had yester-
day had from young Las Cases ; he (Sir Hudson)
considered him unworthy of being treated like a
man of honour, and undeserving the consideration
due from one gentleman to another P This he not
only repeated twice, but obliged me to insert it
in my pocket-book ; desiring me not on any ac-
count to omit communicating those expressions to
General Bonaparte. After having cooled a little,
however, his excellency rescinded his directions,
gave me some explanations which he desired me
to make known to Napoleon, and ordered me to
rub out of my pocket-book the obnoxious expres-
sions. He then walked about with me in the li-
brary, and said, **that in reference and reply to
what I had written to him. General Bonaparte
could not be permitted to run about the country.
That if the intentions of ministers were only to
prevent his escape from the island, a compto/s
governor would have answered as well as any
other person; but that there were other objects
in view, and material ones, which he had been
sent out to fulfil. That there were several strong
reasons for not allowing him to communicate m
the island. That any man might secure his per-
AJYOICE FROM ST. HELENA* 283^
ion by ]danting sentries about him, but that muck
mord was to be done.** When I was about to
leave tbe room, he called me back, and said, '' Tell
General Bonaparte that it is very fortunate for him
that he has so good a man for governor over him ;
that others, with the instructions I have, would
have put him in chains for his conduct/' He
<k>ncladed by desiring me to endeavour to get Sir
Thomas Strange introduced to Napoleon,
-fidpriani in town, purchasing provisions.
,> IS/Av^^Explained to Napoleon in the least of-
fiensive manner I could, the message I had been
ordered by Sir Hudson Lowe to deliver, with an
assurance from the governor, that his papei*s had
been kept sacred ; which I observed had been
conflitned by a letter from Emanuel de Las
Gases, accompanying those that had been re-
turned, testifying that the papers had been re-
spected. That Sir Hudson Lowe had told me,
that during the examination of the papers, which
took place always in presence of Las Cases,
whenever the latter pointed out one as belong-
ing to him, (Napoleon,) it was immediately put
aside, without being looked at ; and that when
tbe examination was finished, the papers were
sealed' up with Las Cases' seal, and not opened
again, unless in his presence. That Sir Hudson
had said, that so far from being instigated by
pialice or revenge, he had written to the ministry
to ameliorate his condition, &c. Napoleon xe«
268 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA*
plied, that he did not believe it ; no government
two thousand leagues off could know the localities
so well as to give minute details, they could only
g^ve general orders ; that no assertion from a man
who had told so many falsehoods, could be cre-
dited ; and that the letter from young Las Cases
was not satisfactory, as it merely contained an as-
surance from Sir Hudson Lowe, that they would
be respected. * " As to his instructions,** conti-
nued he, ^^ I have no doubt that if he has not re-
ceived written orders to ♦ ♦ ♦, he has verbal ones,
(a voce). When it is intended to ♦**, it is always
commenced by cutting off all communication be-
tween him and the world ; by enveloping him with
mystery and secrecy, in order, that after having
accustomed the world to hear nothing about him,
♦***♦*. Tell him,** added he, " my sentiments
on the subject."
I then spoke about Sir Thomas Strange, and
informed him that Sir Thomas Strange, who had
been chief judge in the East Indies, was desirous
of paying his respects to him, and that his intend-
ed visit did not arise from curiosity, but was a
mark of that attention which every person ought
to shew towards so great a man, and one who had
filled so high a station in the world. Napoleon
replied, ^^ I will see no person who does not first
go to Bertrand. Persons sent direct by the go-
* This reply, in full, wai communicated by me in writing to Sir
Hndfon Lowe.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA*. 269
ternor I will not see, as it would have the appear-
ance of obeying a command from him."
Count Bert rand now came in, and mentioned
that the governor was at Longwood, and wanted
to see me. Napoleon then said, " If he asks you
any questions about my thoughts, tell him that
I intend writing a Protest to the Prince Regent
against his barbarous conduct. That his keeping
Las Cases in custody, when there is nothing
against him, is illegal. That he ought either to
Ue sent back here, or sent off the island, or tried.
That if he wishes to accommodate diflFerences, as
he informed you, let him alter his conduct, and
put matters upon the footing they were during the
time of Admiral Cockbum. As to the visit of the
judg^ whom he wishes me to see, tell him que les
gens qui sont dans un tornheau ne repoivent pas de
visiteSy as he has literally immured me in a tomb.
Besides, according to his restrictions, if the judge
does not speak French, I cannot employ one of
my officers to interpret, for he has prohibited
strangers who may visit me from speaking or com-
municating with any person of my suite, and more-
over, I have lost Las Cases."
Count Bertrand desired me to say, that if he
saw Sir Thomas Strange, he should be obliged to
shew him those parts of the governor's restrictions,
signed by himself, in which he had prohibited
those who had a pass to see the emperor, from
270 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
holding any communication with others of hb
household unless specially permitted.
Informed Sir Hudson Lowe of what I had been
desired, which he said he would communicate to
Lord Bathurst. He then observed, ** that Count
Las Cases had not followed Greneral Bonaparte
out of affection, but merely to have an opportunity
of obtaining materials from him to publish his life ;
that General Bonaparte did not know what Las
Cases had written, or the expressions which had
dropped from him ; that he had already collected
some very curious materials for his history ; that
ministers feared that some turbulent, intriguing
persons in France, or on the continent, would en-
deavour to excite rebellion and new wars in Eu-
rope, by making use of his (Napoleon s) name to
insure their purposes ; that General Bonaparte was
very lucky in having so good a man as himself
to deal with, &c,*'
He added again, that he could not tell the na-
ture of his orders ; that he had an important object
to fulfil, independent of the detention of General
Bonaparte : and, after some more conversation
upon similar subjects, said, that he would give
permission to-morrow to Sir Thomas Strange and
family to communicate with Bertrand^ or with any
others of the suite.
Saw Sir Thomas Reade, to whom I mentioned
Napoleon's answer relative to the interview which
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 271
the gOTCPnor was desirous to obtain for Sir Thomas
Strange. Sir Thomas replied, " If I were gover-
nor, ni be d d if I would not make him feel
that be was a prisoner." I observed, " Why you
cannot do much more to him than you have al-
iready done, unless you put him in irons." " Oh,*
answered Reade, ** If he did not comply with what
I wanted, 111 be d d if I wouldn't take his
books from him, which I'll advise the governor to
do. He is a d d outlaw and a prisoner, and
the governor has a right to treat him with as much
severity as he likes, and nobody has any business
to interfere with him in the execution of his duty.**
Told Napoleon what his excellency had direct-
ed me to communicate. He observed, that the
only way to prevent people from making use of
his name, in order to excite rebellion, was to put
him to death. " That," said he, " is the only ef-
fectual mode, and the sooner the better. // riy
a que les marts qui ne reviennent pas^
" All that he says," continued he, " is per get-
tar la polvere, to deceive the judge, in order that
he may say when he arrives in England, that it
is my own fault if I do not receive whoever I
please. Un uomo cattivo che ha tutta la scaltrezza
Sicilianar
13M. — ^A sealed letter from Napoleon to Las
Cases given by Count Bertrand to Captain Pop-
pleton, for the purpose of being forwarded through
372 A VOICE FROM ST. HELBNA.
the governor to the count. At six, p. m. a dragocA
brought two letters from Sir Hudson Lowe to
Count Bertrand, one returning Napoleon's letter
to Count Las Cases, because it was sealed, add-
ing, that he would not forward any sealed letter ;
and that even if it were open, it would depend
upon the nature of the contents, whether it would
be forwarded or not ; as he (the governor) did not
wish that any communication should take place
between Longwood and Count Las Cases. In the
other, the governor intimated that probably he
should not take any steps with respect to Las
Cases, until he heard from the British govern*
nient.
Saw Napoleon, who observed, that he believed
nothing good could come from the governor, who
was a man of bad lymph. " He ought,** continued
he, " to have several large blisters applied, to draw
away some of that bad lymph from him."
He conversed upon the probability of a revolu-
tion in France. *^ Ere twenty years have elapsed,
when I am dead and buried," said he, ** you will
witness another revolution in Fmnce. It is im-
possible that twenty-nine millions of Frenchmen
can live contented under the yoke of sovereigns
imposed upon them by foreigners, and against
whom they have fought and bled for nearly thirty
years. Can you blame the French for not being
willing to submit to the yoke of sucti animaU
xfWicK FROM w; mlbna* 87SI
flb Mkmtohemi? You are very fond in England of
malciiig^ a comparison between the restoration of
diaries the Second and that of Louis ; but there
b not the smallest similitude. Charles was re-
called by the mass of the English nation to the
throne which his successor afterwards lost for a
mass : but as to the Bourbons, there is not a village
in France which has not lost thirty or forty of the
flower of its youth in endeavouring to prevent their
return. The sentiments of the nation are, — ^ Ce
flest pas nous qui avons ramenS ces misdrdbles ;
turn, ceux qui out ravag^ notre paj/Sj qui ont bruU
nas maisonsj qui ont vioU nos femmes et nos Jilles^
ks ont mis sur le trdne par la/orce.^"*^
I asked him some questions about the share that
Morean had in Georges' conspiracy. " Moreau,**
said he, '^confessed to his advocate that he had
seen and conversed with Georges and Kehegru,
and that on his trial he intended to avow it. His
counsel, however, dissuaded him from doing so,
and observed, that if he confessed having seen
Georges, nothing could save him from being con-
demned to death. Moreau, in an interview with
the other two conspirators, insisted that the first
step to be taken was to kill me ; that when I was
disposed of, he should have great power and in-
* We hare not brought luu^k thote wretchet ; no, thoie who hare
raraged our country, burnt our houaes, and yiolated our wires and
our daaghtere, haye (daeed them on the throne by force*
VOL. I. 2 N
274 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA.
fluence with the army ; but that as long as I liredf
he could do nothing. When he was arrested, the
paper of accusation against him was given to him,
in which his crime was stated to be, the having
conspired against the life of the first consul and
the security of the republic, in complicity with
Pichegru and Georges. On reading the names of
those two he dropt the paper and fainted.**
" In the battle before Dresden,** said Napoleon,
" I ordered an attack to be made upon the allies
by both flanks of my army. While the manoiuvres
for this purpose were executing, the centre re-
mained motionless. At the distance of about from
this to the outer gate,* I observed a group of per-
sons collected together on horseback. Conclud-
ing that they were endeavouring to observe my
manoeuvres, I resolved to disturb them, and called
to a captain of artillery who commanded a field
battery of eighteen or twenty pieces : * Jettez une
douzalne de houlets a la fois dans ce groupe Ut,
peut-etre ily a quelques petits giniraux^ (Throw
a dozen of bullets at once into that group ; per-
haps there are some little generals in it.) It was
done instantly. One of the balls struck Moreaa,
carried off both his legs, and went through his
horse. Many more, I believe, who were near
him, were killed and wounded. A moment be-
fore Alexander had been speaking to him. Mo«
* About five hundred yardi.
A VOICE FROM 8T. HELENA. 275
reaa*8 legs were amputated not far from the spot.
One of his feet, with the boot upon it, which the
surgeon had thrown upon the ground, was brought
by a peasant to the king of Saxony, with infor-
mation that some officer of great distinction had
been struck by a cannon-shot. Tlie king, con-
ceiving that the name of the person might perhaps
be discovered by the boot, sent it to me. It was
^Eamined at my head-quarters, but all that could
be ascertained was, that the boot was neither
of Ikiglish nor of French manufacture. The
next day we were informed that it was the leg of
Morean* It is not a little extraordinary," conti-
nued Napoleon, " that in an action a sliort time
afterwards, I ordered the same artillery officer,
with the same guns, and under nearly similar cir-
cumstances, to throw eighteen or twenty bullets
at once into a concourse of officers collected toge-
ther, by which General St. Priest, another French-
man, a traitor and a man of talent, who had a
command in the Russian army, was killed, along
with many others. Nothing," continued the em-
peror, " is more destructive than a discharge of a
dozen or more guns at once amongst a group of
persons. From one or two they may escape ; but
from a number discharged at a time, it is almost
impossible. After Esling, when I had caused my
army to go over to the isle of Lobau, there was
for some weeks, by common and tacit consent on
976 A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
both sides between the soldiers^ not by any agree*
ment between the generals^ a cessation of firing,
which indeed had produced no benefit, and only
killed a few unfortunate sentinels. I rode out
every day m different directions. No person was
molested on either side. One day, however, riding
along with Oudinot, I stopped for a moment upon
the edge of the island, which was about eighty
toises distant from the opposite bank, where the
enemy was. They perceived us, and knowing'
me by the little hat and grey coat, they pointed
b three-pounder at us. The ball passed between
Oudinot and me, and was very close to both of
us. We put spura to our horses, and speedily
got out of sight. Under the actual circumstances,
tlie attack was little better than murder; but if
they had fired a dozen guns at once, they roust
have killed us.**
Count Bertrand brought back Napoleon's letter
to Captain Poppleton, broke the seal before him,
and desired that it might be sent in that state to
Sir Hudson Lowe.
Some oranges sent to Longwood by the admiral.
14M. — ^Napoleon very unwell. Had passed a
very bad night. Found him in bed at eleven,
p. m. ^^ Doctor," said he, ^ I had a nervous at-
tack last night, which kept me continually un-
easy and restless, with a severe headach, and in-
voluntary agitations. I was without sense for a
few moments. I verily thought and hoped, that
a morei violent attack would have taken place,
which would have carried me off before morning.'
It seemed as if a fit of apoplexy was coming on«
I felt a heaviness and giddiness of my head, (as if
it were overloaded with blood,) with a desire to
put myself in an upright posture. I felt a heat ia
my head, and called to those about me to pour
fiome cold water over it, which they did not com-
prehend for some time. Afterwards, the water
felt hot, and I thought it smelt of sulphur, though
in reality it was cold.** At this time he was in a
free perspiration, which I recommended him to
encourage, and his headach was much diminished*
After I had recommended every thing I thought
necessary or advisable, he replied, ^^ si viverebbe
troppo lungamenter* He afterwards spoke about
funeral rites, and added, that when he died, he
would wish that his body might be burned. '^ It
is the best mode,"* said he, ^^as then the corpse
does not produce any inconvenience ; and as to
the resurrection, that must be accomplished by a
miracle, and it is easy to the being who has it in
his power to perform such a miracle as bringing
the remains of the bodies together, to also form
again the ashes of the dead/*
\5th. — Had a long conversation with Sir Hud-
son LfOwe relative to the affairs of Longwood^
and to Napoleon's health. His excellency said^
that he supposed it was Count Bertrand who had
* One would live too long;
278 ▲ VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
informed Count Las Cases, that he (Sir Hudson)
would send him off the island, if he persisted in
writing any more injurious reflections upon the
manner that General Bonaparte was treated. That
be would hold him (Bertrand) answerable for the
consequences. He also observed, that as to the
restrictions which had been so much complained
of, there was in reality but little difference ; that
with respect to the prohibition to speak, which
General Bonaparte complained of, it was not an
crder to him not to speak, hut merely a request It!
He also added, that Las Cases had attempted
to send a secret accusation against him, which
was like stabbing a man in the back, and that
they must be conscious they were telling lies, or
they would not be afraid to send them to England,
through him, as He had offered to forward them.
In his conversation with Bertrand he had merely
observed, that according to his instructions, he
ought to have sent Las Cases off the island, in
consequence of the letters he had written. His
instructions, he said, were of such a nature, that
it was impossible to draw a line between some
which directed that General Bonaparte should
be treated with great indulgence, and others, pre-
scribing regulations and restrictions impossible
to be reconciled with the first. That he had in
consequence written for further explanations, and
had i^ecommended the lessening of the existing
restrictions.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 279
16th. — Saw Napoleon, to whom I repeated what
the governor had desired. Napoleon replied, "he
sent back, and refused to forward a letter of
complaints, sent to him by Montholon ; he told
Bertrand that he would receive no letters in which
I was not styled as his government wished ; and
he sent up by his chef. d*dtat major ^ a paper, me-
nacing with transportation from tlie island all those
who should make reflections upon him or his go-
vernment ; independent of his having given Ber-
trand clearly to understand, that if Las Cases
continued his complaints, he would send him from
St. Helena. In orders like his, there must be
always some apparent contradiction, and great dis-
cretionary powers ; but he interprets every thing
badly, and where there is a possibility of putting a
bad construction upon any part, which would as
well admit of a favourable one, he is sure to choose
the former. Un uomo che ha la mallziay ma non
Vanima. Perhaps he sees that he has gone too
far, and now wants to saddle the odium of his
proceedings upon Iiis government."
18M. — ^Went along with Mr. Baxter to visit
Count Las Cases and son. The Count informed
me that the governor had given him permission to
return to Longwood, under certain conditions, but
that he had not entirely decided what he would
do. Young Las Cases said that his father feared
he would be looked upon in a slighting manner
at Longwood^ if he returned, in consequence
880 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA,
of the disgraceful manner in which he had been ar-
rested and dragged away by the governor s police.
Informed Napoleon on my return that the go-
vernor had offered to allow Las Cases to return
to Longwood. After some discussion on the sub-
ject, he observed, that he would give no advice to
Las Cases about it. If he came back, he would
receive him with pleasure ; if he went away, he
would hear of it with pleasure ; but that in the
latter case, he should wish to see him once more
before he left the island. He added, that since
the arrest of Las Cases, he had ordered all his
generals to go away ; that he should be more in-
dependent without them, as then he should not
labour under the fear of their suffering ill-treat*
ment by the governor, in order thereby to revenge
himself upon him. "I,** continued he, "am not
afraid that they will send me off the island.**
Saw Sir Hudson Lowe, who said, that with
the exception of certain necessary restrictions^ he
had orders from government to treat General Bo-
naparte with all possible indulgence, which he
thought he had done. That if some restrictions
had been imposed, it was his own fault, and that
of Las Cases. That he had been very mild ! !
This he desired me to communicate. Shortly
afterwards he said, that if Count Bertrand had
shewn his (Sir Hudson's) restrictions to Sir Tho-
mas Strange, he, the governor, would have been
authorized to send him off the island. Nearly hi
A TOICK FROM 9T. HKLBNA. 2%
the 8^1116 breath, he asked if I thought' that the
interftrence of Sir George Bingham as an inter-
iktediator would be^ of any service ? I rephed ttmt
probably it might, bat as Sir George Bingham did
not speak French with sufficient fluency to entet
into long discussions or reasonings, I was of opi-
nion that Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm would
be a much better intermediator.
Told Napoleon what Sir Hudson Lowe had
directed. " Doctor," replied he, ^ when this man
has the audacity to tell j/ou, who know every thing
that has been done, that he treats me with induli-
^pence; I need not suggest to you what he writes
to his government.**
Informed me that last night he had suffered an-
other attack similar to that of the 13th, but more
violent. " Ali,*** said he, " frightened, threw some
eau de Cologne in my face, mistaking it for water.
This getting into my eyes gave me intolerable pain,
and certainly brought me to myself."
Told him what Sir Hudson Lowe had said re-
lative to the intermediation of Sir George Bing-
ham. He replied, ^^ perhaps it might be of some
service ; but all he has to do is, che esca del sua
ruolo di carceriere e che si metta nel ruolo di galan^
tuomo.^ If any person were to undertake the
f St. jOenb was commonly called AIL
t This means, '* let him conduct himself no longer as a gaoler, but
behave like a gentleman."
VOL. I. 2 O
282 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
office of intermediator^ the most fit would be the
admiral, both because he is independent of Sir
Hudson Lowe, and because he is a man with
whom I can reason and argue. But,** continued
he, ^^ questo governatore S un uomo senza fede.
When your ministry is insincere, wants to shuffle,
or has nothing good to execute, a polisson like
Drake, or Hudson Lowe, is sent out as ambas-
sador, or governor ; when it is the contrary, and
it wishes to conciliate or treat, such a man as
Lord Cornwallis is employed. A Comwallis
here, would be of more avail than all the restric-
tions that could be imagined." He then observed,
that he thought it would be better for Las Cases
to return back to Longwood, than either to re-
main in the island separated from them, or sent to
the Cape, and that I might report that I had heard
him say so.
21*^ — ^A letter received from Major Gorrequer,
stating that the governor would permit Archam-
baud to see his brother on the following day, who,
with Santini and Rousseau, had arrived in the
Orontes frigate from the Cape.*
22nd. — ^Archambaud allowed to see his brother
in the presence of one of the governor s agents,
but not permitted either to see or converse with
any of the others.
23rd. — Sir Hudson Lowe at Longwood; in-
* Thif request had been at first refused by Sir Hudson Lowa
A VOICE FROM ST. HELBNA. 283
formed him- what Napoleon had said ahout Las
Cases. He told me that Las Cases wanted to
make terms, previous to returning to Longwood^
and desired me to ^^ go to Hut's Gate^ and tell
him what General Bonaparte had said ; hut not
to hold any other communication with him.*' I
mentioned to his excellency the fit of syncope
with which Napoleon had been attacked: "It
would be lucky," replied Sir Hudson Lowe, "if
he went off some of those nights in a fit of the
kind.*' I observed that I thought it very prob-
able he would be attacked with a fit of apo-
plexy, which would finish him, and that continu-
ing to lead his present mode of life, it was im-
possible he could remain in health. Sir Hudson
asked, what could induce him to take exercise.
I replied to moderate the restrictions, and to
remove some of which he complained so much.
Sir Hudson Lowe made some observations about
the danger of allowing a man to get loose who
had done such mischief already, and desired me
to write him a statement of the health of young
Las Cases. I replied that I was going to see him,
in company with Mr. Baxter. His excellency
observed, that he would go and have some con-
versation with Count Bertrand on the subjects
complained of.
On my return met Sir Hudson Lowe, who ap-
peai*ed in a very bad humour, and said, that Count
Bertrand had for s^ ^Qrt time spoken very rea-
5t84 A voiefi FROM st; hbuna^
sonably, but that afterwards he had broldm oat
foolishly about ndtre situatiafiy just < as if it«wero
of any consequence to England, or^to Europe^
what became of Count Bertrand ; or as if it were
not Bonaparte alone who was looked after/^that
he did not know what business he had to couple
his situation \nth Bonaparte*s.
Mrs. Balcombe and eldest daughter came to see
Countess Bertrand. They were desirous of paying
a visit to Napoleon and to Countess Montholon^
but as their pass specified Count Bertrand*s houses
and did not mention either of the others, it was
not permitted by the orderly officer.
Saw Napoleon afterwards. " This governor,*
said he, ''has been with Bertrand making some
proposals, but in such a dark and mysterious
manner, that one cannot understand what object
he has in view. Every thing he says is destitute
of clearness ; and when he reluctantly gives the
truth, it is enveloped in quibbles and evasions.
He had a long pourparler about Las Cases, which
be concluded by asserting, that Las Cases was not
in prison^ and never had been so I — ^ J? un uomo com*
posto d'imbecillitd,, di bugie, e d*un poco di seal*
trezza. Can Las Cases go out ? Can he see any
person, either French, or English, besides his
gaolers ? (for seeing a surgeon is nothing). Can
he send or receive a letter that does not pass open
through their hands r I know not really,"* conti-
nued he, ''what this man calls being in prisoaT
4 VOICB FIU)M .$T. HBUBNA. 285
. •^ijyiHit Aclbol I was to give myself tip to you,**
CGAtixKied he; ''I had a mistaken notion of your
national character ; I had formed a romantic idea
of the Englidu There entered into it also a ppr-
l|oa of pride* I disdained to give myself up to
any' of those sovereigns whose countries I had
conquered^ and whose capitals I had entered in
triumph ; and I determined to confide in you^
whom I had never vanquished. Doctor^ I am well
punished for the good opinion I had of you, and
for the confidence which I reposed in you, in-
stead of giving myself up to my father-in-law, or
to the emperor Alexander, either of whom would
have treated me with the greatest respect.** I ob-
ser^'ed^ that it was possible that Alexander might
have sent him to Siberia; ''not at all,** replied Na^
poleon, ''setting aside other motives, Alexander
would, through policy, and from the desire which
be has to make himself popular, have treated me
like a king, and I should have had palaces at
command. Besides, Alexander is a generous
man^ and would have taken a pleasure in treating
me well; and my father-in-law, though he is an
imbecile, is still a religious man, and incapable of
committing, crimes, or such acts of cruelty as are
practised here.**
r SaW' Las: Cases and son along with Mr. Baxter.
Wrote a letter afterwards to Sir Hudson Lowe re-
specting the state of health of young Las Cases;
286 A VOICE FROM ST. HELBNA.
and concluded by recommending him to be re*
moved to Europe for the recovery of his health.
Mr. Baxter also wrote one of a similar tendency,
and one about the count himself, in which he said,
that in consequence of his being afflicted with
dyspepsia, it was probable that a change to a
colder climate would be beneficial, and that that
of Europe would be preferable.
25th. — ^Napoleon in very good spirits. Asked
many questions in English, which although he
pronounced it as he would have done French, yet
the words were correct, and applied in their pro-
per meaning.
26th. — Sir Hudson Lowe sent for me. Found
him in town. He observed that I had put too
much political feeling into my letter respecting
young Las Cases : that my opinion must have re-
lated to what would have happened had he re-
mained at Longwood ; and that it appeared to
enter too much into the feelings of those people.
I replied, that I could not separate my opinion
from the cause of his complaints, and that he him-
self had said, if the state of his son's health abso-
lutely required his removal to Europe, he would
not oppose it. Sir Hudson answered, that he had
certainly said, that if it absolutely required such
a measure, he would not oppose it; but that I
had entered into a discussion not called for in the
letter.
A YOICIS FROM ST. HELENA. 287
He then spoke about the restrictions, and
shewed roe a letter which he said he intended to
send to Bertrand, and upon which he desired to
know roy opinion. After reading it, I observed
to his excellency that I thought it calculated to
produce some severe remarks from Napoleon ; as
in fact it left matters in nearly the same state as
they had been before, after having nominally re-
moved some of the restrictions. On a little re-
flection, his excellency appeared to be of the same
opinion, and said that he would reconsider the
matter. In the mean time he authorised me to
tell Greneral Bonaparte that several of the re-
strictions should be removed, especially those re-
lative to speaking ; that the limits should be en-
larged, and that liberty should be granted to peo-
ple to visit him, nearly as in former times under
the admiral.
Informed Napoleon of this, who replied, that
he desired no more than to have matters put
as nearly as possible as they were under the ad-
miral. That he thought it right and just if the
governor suspected either an inhabitant of the
island, or a passenger, or any of them, that he
should not allow them to enter Longwood; but
that what he (Napoleon) meant was, that the ma-
jority of respectable passengers or inhabitants
should be allowed to visit him, and not one or
two who had been picked out and sent up to
A'TOrCB FROM ST; RBLBKa;
Ijongwood by the governor, or by hls^^tafllt as
a keeper of galley-slaves would sesd at ei}t4o>a8
traveller to his galleys to see some extraordinary
criminaL If^*" continued he, " I met a man whose
conversation pleased me (like the -admiral, for ex-
ample) I should wish to see him again, and per-
haps ask him to dinner or breakfast, as was done
before this governor's arrival ; therefore I wish
that a list should be sent in the first place by
the governor to Bertrand, containing the names of
the persons that he will allow to visit us ; and
that afterwards, Bertrand shall have the privi-
lege of asking any person again whose name is
upon that list. I will never see any one com-
ing up with a pass in which the day is fixed,
which is a way of saying, come out this day and
exhibit yourself. I want also that our situation
may be clearly defined, so that my household shall
not be liable to the insults which they have all
suffered, and continue to suffer, either from being
kept in the dark respecting the restrictions which
he imposes, or from misconception of sentinels, or
the orders given being of a discretional nature,
which may put a sentinel upon his responsibility,
and Mall constitute him an arbitrary judge. The
trifling vexations and humiliations which he makes
us undergo, are worse to us than the greater. I am
willing,** continued he, ^ to listen to accommoda-
tion, and not to insist upon too much. But, he
A VOICB FROM ST. fitKLBNA^ 289
has no heart or feeling. He thinks that a man is like
a horse, give him a bundle of hay and a roof to co-
yer him, and nothing further is necessary to make
him happy. His policy is that of the petty states
of Italy; to write and promise fairly, apparently
give liberty, but afterwards by insinuations change
every thing. His is the policy of insinuations.**
I then asked, if the governor consented, and
the admiral were satisfied, would he hold a con-
ference with that officer as an intermediator, in
order to bring about an arrangement ? Napo-
leon replied, " willingly. With the greatest plea-
sure I would treat personally with the admiral,
and I think that we could settle it in half an
hour. I have so much confidence in him, that if
the English government would allow it, and the
admiral would pledge his word of honour, that
no one bnt himself should know the contents, (un-
less there was some plot or intrigue against his go-
vernment,) I would write a letter, putting him in
possession of every thing I know relative to my
property, in order that I might be able to make
use of it. To-morrow," continued he, ** I shall
let you know whether I am of the like opinion
relative to the intermediation. If I continue the
same, yon shall go to the governor and propose it
to him.**
A letter sent by Count Bertrand to Sir Hudson
VOL. I. 2 p
290 ▲ VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
Lowe, requesting that Count Las Cases might be
permitted to visit Longwood previous to his de-
parture, to take leave of the emperor.
21th. — Gave Napoleon some newspapers. On
looking over them he observed an article about
Pozzo di Borgo. " Pozzo di Borgo,** said he,
*^was deputy to the legislative body during the
revolution. He is a man of talent, an intriguer,
and knows France well. As long as he remains
there as ambassador, you may be sure that Alex-
ander does not consider Louis to be firmly seated
upon the throne. When you see a Russian no-
minated as ambassador, you may then conclude
that Alexander thinks the Bourbons likely to con-
tinue in France.**
He then desired me to go to the governor and
tell him, " that if he were willing to come to an
amicable arrangement, he (Napoleon) thought the
best means of effecting it would be to authorize
the admiral to act as an intermediator. That if
such were done, he had little doubt but matters
might be adjusted. That he wished it himself, as
he did not like to complain. All he wanted was
to live, or in other words, that the restrictions
should not be of such a nature as to induce a per-
son to wish for death. That in consequence of
what I had said to him, he had ordered Bertrand
to discontinue writing a complaint^ which he had
▲ VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 291
intended to have sent to Lord Castlereagh for the
Prince Regent ; and in fact, that he was desirous
an accommodation should take place^**
Went to town to deliver the above message.
Found that the governor had left it before my
arrival. Communicated the object of my mis-
sion to Sir Thomas Reade, who replied, that he
knew the governor would never consent to al-
low the admiral to act as an intermediator. —
There was no use in proposing it. I replied, that
as I had been charged with the messc^e, I must
deliver it^ as perhaps it might lead to good ef-
fects.
Went to Plantation House and communicated
my message to Sir Hudson Lowe. He said,
" that he would accept of the proposal, but that
he had previously to decide upon a very delicate
point, which might break off any purposed ar-
rangement. That General Bonaparte had asked
to see Count Las Cases before his departure,
which would do away with the great object he
had had in view for a month back, viz. that oi
cutting off all communication between Longwood
and Las Cases. That General Bonaparte might
make important and dangerous communications
to Las Cases ; to obviate which, he would propose
that a staff officer should be present at the de-
manded interview, which it was likely might anger
General Bonaparte.**
iSH Jl voice from ST. fiELBttCA.
He then wrote the following words on a piece
of paper, which he desired me to copy, and to
shew the copy : — *^ The governor is not conscious
of ever having wilfully given to General Bonaparte
any just cause of olBTence or disagreement. He
has seen with pain misunderstandings arise on
points where his duty would not allow him to
pursue any other course, and which might have
been frequently removed by a single word of ex-
planation.
" Any channel by which he may think such
misundei*standings may be removed, the governor
is perfectly ready and willing to avail himself of.**
Sir Hudson then gave me a large packet for
Count Bertrand, containing his answer to the ap-
plication to see Las Cases, and some explana-
tions relative to the restrictions, some of which he
said he was willing should be altered ; and that
the 5th paragraph of the restrictions delivei'ed in
October was merely meant as a civil request to
General Bonaparte, not to subject himself to the
interference of an officer, by entering into long
conversations with persons not authorized by the
governor to communicate with him. He added,
that he would have some conversation with the
admiral previous to the latter's going to see Na-
poleon, for the purpose of entering upon the inter-
mediation.
28/A. — Napoleon indisposed. Had passed a
▲ VOICE FROM ST. HBLRNA. 293
very uneasy night and had suffered* considerably
from faeadacfa. Saw him at three, p. m. when he
was still in bed^ and afflicted with severe headache
He had not seen any one. Informed him what
Sir Hudson Lowe said respecting the proposed
intermediation* I did not like to communicate
what his excellency had said about the interview
which he had desired to have with Las Cases, as I
thought it would both aggravate his illness and
tend to impede the desired accommodation. While
I was in bis bed-room, Marchand came in and in-
formed him that the bath which he had ordered
could not be got ready on account of the total
want of water at Longwood. However, he ap-
peared well satisfied, and expressed his fear, that
if Sir Pulteney came up this day, his indisposition
might prevent his seeing and conversing with him.
He desired me, therefore, to tell Count Bertrand,
in case the admiral came, to take him to his house^
shew him the necessary papers, and talk the mat-
ter over; adding, that if he found himself well
enough, he would send for him, but if not, that
be would appoint a future day.
Saw Count Bertrand afterwards, who asked
me to explain the meaning of the passage in his
excellency s letter in which he attempted to make
it c^pear that the prohibition to Napoleon to speak
was a piece of civility. Not having been educated
for a special pleader, I felt myself at a loss to af-
294 A VaiCB FROM ST. HELENA.
ford any explanation sufficient to establish the
truth of the governor's doctrine.
Sir Pulteney and Lady Malcolm came to Long-
wood and paid a visit to Counts and Countesses
Bertrand and Montholon. No communication had
been yet made by the governor to Sir Pulteney,
who, when informed of the proposal, expressed
his ardent wish that something might be done to
put things upon a better footing between Napo-
leon and the governor ; adding, that he thought if
the matter were left to him, he could arrange it
satisfactorily in a vei-y little time. He observed,
however, that until the governor authorized him,
he would have no conversation on the subject
either with Napoleon or with any of his suite.
Saw Napoleon in the evening in his bed-room,
along with Mat^hal Bertrand. The parcel of
letters which I had brought from the governor
was before him. He had just* been informed of
his reply to the application that Count Las Cases
might be allowed to visit Longwood before his
departure. He observed, that " criminals con-
demned to death, and on the point of being led
out to execution, were allowed to bid adieu to
their friends, without it being required that a
third person should be present.'' He was very
much displeased, and expressed in strong terms
his indignation at such barbarous conduct. He
then asked me for the governor's reply to the proh
A TOICK FBOM ST. HELENA. 295
posal I had made, which I gave him in French
and English, having made a translation of it into
the former, and also repeated to him what the go-
vernor had expressed to me relative to Las Cases.
When he came to the words, ^ where his duty
would not allow him.* ^ misunderstanding,** &c.
^ TVacasMTi e,* said he, '* this is the language he has
always held. It is an insult to the human under-
standing. His intentions could not be mistaken.
They were to heap all sorts of useless vexations
upon me. I cannot,* continued he, '' think that he
will allow the admiral to act as intermediator.
Depend upon it, it is some shuffling trick of his,
and that he will never allow it to come to a con-
clusion.** He then dictated a few lines to Count
Bertrand, containing a protest against the gover-
nor's conduct, which he desired him to write out
fair in the next room. He requested me to commu-
nicate to the governor the remarks which he had
made upon his conduct, and observed, that he
hoped the admiral would not commence any pro-
ceedings without having first made himself per-
fectly master of the subject, in ord.er not to allow
himself to be jou^ by the governor ; who would
probably fill him with those falsehoods which he
always had at command. " I should be sorry that
the admiral,** continued he, " should undertake any
thing likely to prove abortive, as I have an esteem
for him.*
296 A TOICB FROM 8T. HBLBMA*.
Sir Thomas Reade all day in consultatioii a({
Plantation House.
29th. — ^A letter from Sir Hudson Lowe (at
Count Bertrand arrived at eight o'clock in the
morning. Saw Napoleon at two^ p. m. Informed
me, that as the governor had fourteen or fifteen
days ago expressed a wish to know what the
French complained of, he had directed Bertrand
to send him a copy of his restrictions, with some
observations thereupon, that he might think and
reflect upon them. Also that he had caused the-
following remarks to be written upon the back of
the memorandum containing the governor's sen^
timents, which I had delivered to him yesterday^
and which he directed me to forward to Sir Hud-^
son Lowe : —
^^1. On ne peut justifier la conduite qu'on tieni
depuis six mois par quelques phrases de la corres*
pondance du ministre. Une longue et volumi*
neuse correspondance minist^rielle est un arsenal
od il y a des armes k tout tranchant.
^^ 2. Les demiers r^glemens seraient consid6r68
k Botany Bay comme injurieux et oppressifis ; ils
doivent £tre, quoique Ton en dise^ contraires k la
volont^ du gouvemement Anglais, qui a approuv6
les r^glemens qui ont ^t^ en vigueur jusqu*aa
mois d*Ao{it dernier.
" 3. Toutes les observations que le Comte Beri-
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 297
trand et le Comte de Montholon ont faites ont 6t6
inutiles. Une libre discussion leur a ^t6 interdite
par des menaces."**
'^This governor,** said he, "is a man tot<illy
unfit to fill the situation he holds. He has a good
deal of cunning, but no talent or steadiness. C'est
un homme soupformeuXy astucieux, menteur, double,
et plein dHnsinuationSy like the Italians of two or
three centuries ago. CTest un excellent familier de
VinqidsUUm. II mettrait de Vastuce h dire le hon
Jour. Je crois quit en met a manger son d^j^n^^
He ought to be sent to Goa. Bertrand wrote that
he hoped he would not refuse his consent to a
matter of so little consequence as that of permit^
ting Las Cases to come up here. If he refuses,
Bertrand will go down to see him along with an
officer, which I could not consent to do.**
"What can he be afraid of?" continued he,
" that I would tell him to write to my wife ? He
will do that without my direction. That I would
tell him my sentiments and intentions ? He knows
them already. Does he think that Europe is a
mine of gunpowder, and Las Cases the spark to
blow it up.
A letter superscribed " in haste,** from Sir Hud-
son, was given to Captain Poppleton, containing
one for Count Bertrand, signifying that " in conse*
quence of the manner in which Count Las Cases
* The tranfllation will be found in tiie Appendix, Nob VIl.
. VOL. I. 2 Q
298 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA.
had been removed from Longwood^ the governor
could not permit him to take leave of General
Bonaparte," &c. Shortly afterwards Count Ber-
trand and Baron Gourgaud went to town, accom-
panied by Captain Poppleton, to see and take
leave of Count Las Cases. It is difficult to recon-
cile the conduct pursued towards them there, with
the other measures practised by Sir Hudson Lowe,
and with the importance which he professed to
attach to " cutting off all communication with
Longwood.** At breakfast they were left to them-
selves, with the exception of Capt. Poppleton, who
understands French with difficulty, and not at all
when spoken in the quick manner in which French-
men usually converse with each other. For some
hours they remained together in the large room
of the castle, which is about fifty feet by twenty,
walking up one side, while Colonel Wynyard and
Major Gorrequer, who were to watch them, re-
mained on the opposite side of the room ; so that
in fact. Las Cases might just as well have been
permitted to come to Longwood, and thereby a
refusal, which was considered as an insult, would
have been spared to Napoleon.
About three, p. m. Las Cases and his son em-
barked on board of the Griffon sloop of war. Cap-
tain Wright, for the Cape of Good Hope. He was
accompanied to the sea*side by Sir Hudson Lowe,
Sir Thomas Reade, &c. His journal and papers,
except a few of no consequenccj were detuned
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 299
by the governor. Previous to his departure he
made over 4,000/. (which he had in a banker's
hands in London), for Napoleon's use.
I saw Sir Hudson Lowe on horseback in the
street, who called out to me when passing, " your
negotiation has failed.**
About five hundred pounds' worth of plate
brought down by Cipriani in the morning to be
sold. When Sir Hudson Lowe saw it he sent for
Cipriani, from whom he demanded, in what man-
ner they could spend so much money r Cipriani
(an arch, intelligent Corsican), replied. ** to buy
food." His excellency affected surprise, and said,
*• What, have you not enough ?" " We have pur-
chased," said Cipriani, ^^ so many fowls, so much
butter, bread, meat, and divers other articles of
food daily for some months ; and I have to thank
your chef d*4tat major, Colonel Reade, for his
goodness in not only procuring me many things
that I wanted, but for his kindness in seeing that
the people did not impose upon me when I was
paying for them " Sir Hudson was a little dis-
concerted at this reply at first ; but afterwards
resuming an appearance of astonishment, asked,
**why do you buy so much butter, or so many
fowls T " Because," replied Cipriani, *^ the allow-
ance granted by vostra eccellenza does not give us
enough to eat. You have taken off nearly half of
what the admiral allowed us." Cipriani then gavQ
300 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
him an account in detail of their wants ; explained
the difference between the French and English
mode of living, and accounted satisfactorily ior
every thing. Sir Hudson said, that the scheme
of allowances had been hastily made out; that he
would look into it, and endeavour to increase the
quantity of those articles of provisions of which
they stood most in need ; and that on the next
arrival from England he expected a change for
the better.
31 st — Sir Hudson Lowe sent for me at six in
the morning. Soon after my arrival he called me
into a private room, and in a very solemn manner
said, that he had sent for me about a very extraor-
dinary circumstance ; that last evening the Baroa
Sturmer had written a note to Major Grorrequer,
stating that General Bonaparte had had a fainting
fit, accompanied hy fever I some time back, and
detailing the fact of the eau de Cologne having
been thrown in his face, and some other circum-
stances, and begging to know if it were true, as
such stories were good to send to his court. His
excellency said, that he was very much surprised
how Baron Sturmer could know that Greneral Bo-
naparte had experienced a fit, or any of the cir-
cumstances attending it ; and asked me to whom
I had told it ? I replied, ^' I mentioned it to none
but yourself, your staff, possibly the admiral, and
Baxter, whom I consulted professionally upon the
A VOICE PROM 9T; HBtENA. 301
inatter; that moreover many of the circumstances
detailed in the Baron's letter were falsehoods ; also
that every body at Longwood knew that Napoleon
had had a fiunting fit on the night he had men-
tioned, as well as the circumstances which accom*
panied it." His excellency then gave me some ad-
vice about the necessity of secrecy, and desired me
to write him a statement of the business, in order
that,! as it had unfortunately got abroad, he might
be able to contradict any incorrect account of it ;
he supposed the admiral had repeated it to Mont-
chenu or Sturmer.
Saw the admiral in town, who told me that I
had not mentioned the circumstance to him, nor
had be done so either to Montchenu or Sturmer ;
but that half the town knew it, which I was soon
convinced of by the number of questions put to
me by divers persons before leaving it.
Saw Napoleon on my return. " Veramente^
said he, laughing, '^ vostro govematore i una bestia
che non ha senso commune. His conduct within a
few days has proved his incapacity more than
ever. He comes up here with an army of staff,
just as if he were going to take a town by assault,
seizes Las Cases, drags him away, keeps him au
secret for some weeks ; he then offers to allow him
to return back. Las Cases is determined to go
away. This governor in a most brutal manner re-
fuses to allow him to take leave of me^ although
302 A TOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA.
at the same time he offers to allow him to return
to Longwood until he hears from England ; and,
to crown the business, he permits Bertrand and
Gourgaud to go down and converse with him for
hours. Bertrand tells me that they had every
opportunity for communication that they could
desire, and every facility of informing him of my
wishes, and of giving him letters. Ah,** continued
he, " if all in England were like him, I should not
be here now. C*est un homme bom^, a poor sub-
ject. He has a little cunning, and that is all, with-
out any firmness or consistency. He spoke to
Cipriani yesterday, to whom he pretended that he
did not know we had not enough of provisions,
(although his privy counsellor Reade has assisted
Cipriani to buy bread and salt for us for some
months) and professed his sorrow that the plate
had been broken up. Veramentefa pietd to see a
great nation represented by such a man.**
Jan. 1st, 1817. — Saw Napoleon in the drawing*
room. Wished him a happy new year. He said
he hoped that the succeeding one would find him
better situated ; and added, laughing, " perhaps I
shall be dead, which will be much better. Worse
than this cannot be.** He was in very good spirits,
spoke about hunting the stag and the wild boar.
Shewed me the scar of a wound in the inside of
the ring-finger, which he told me he had received
from a wild boar while hunting, accompanied by
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 303
the Dnlce of Dalmatia. Count Montholon came
in, to whom Napoleon whispered something ; after
which he went out, and returned with a snuff-box,
which he gave to the emperor, who presented it
to me with his own hands, saying, " here, doctor,
is a present I make to you for the attention which
you manifested towards me during my illness.**
it is needless to say that a gift from the hands of
such a man was received with sensations of pride,
and that I endeavoured to express the sentiments
which occupied my mind.
Napoleon also made some elegant presents to
the Countesses Bertrand and Montholon, consist-
ing of some of the beautiful porcelain, unique in
the world, presented to him by the city of Paris,
with some handsome crapes ; to Count Bertrand,
a fine set of chess-men ; to Count Montholon, a
handsome ornament, &c. All the children also
were gratified with some elegant gift from him.
The weather was so bad and so foggy, that the
signal from Deadwood could not be discerned.
2nd. — Cipriani in town buying provisions.
3rd. — ^Napoleon had been ill during the night ;
but felt better. In pretty good spirits. After
some conversation, I asked his opinion about
Georges. " Georges,** said he, " was una bestia
ignorante. He had courage, and that was all.
After the peace with the Chouans I endeavoured
to gain him overj as then he would have been
804 A TOICS FROM ST; rblkna;
usrful to me, and I was toxious to 6alm all parties.
I sent for and spoke to him for a long time. His
father was a miller, and he was an ignorant fellow
himself. I asked him, ^ why do you want to re-
store those Bourbons ? If even you were to suc-
ceed in placing them upon the throne, you would
still be only a miller's son in their eyes. They
would hold you in contempt, because you are not
of noble birth.* But I found that he had no heart ;
in fact, that he was not a Frenchman. A few
days after he went over to London.**
4th. — ^The Spey man of war arrived, and brought
the news of the destruction of the Algerine ships,
and the treaty which they had been obliged to
make.
5th. — Sir Hudson Lowe at Longwood. Had
a long conversation with him concerning the re-
strictions. His excellency said that he had no
objection to allow General Bonaparte to ride to
the left of Hut's Gate, in the direction of Miss
Mason's; but that he did not like to grant the
same permission to his attendants. I observed,
that it would be difficult to draw such a line of
distinction, as Napoleon never rode out without
being acc<Mnpanied by two or three of them.
Sir Hudson Lowe replied, that he had no objec-
tion to their being permitted to ride in that direc-
tion when in company with General Bonaparte;
but without him, he would not grant it. He then
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 305
desired me to tell General Bonaparte that he
might ride in that direction, whenever he pleased,
that there would be no impediment to his going.
I observed that he had better make Count Ber-
trand acquainted with it : and also that some no-
tice ought to be given to the sentinel at Hut's Gate,
othen^e he would stop him if he attempted to
avail himself of the permission. Sir Hudson Lowe
replied that the sentinel had no orders to stop him.
I said that Generals Montholon and Gourgaud
had been stopped several times when going to the
alarm-house, although within the limits. The go-
vernor replied that this must be a mistake, as the
sentinels had no orders to stop them. I observed,
that I had been twice stopped myself by the sen-
tinels in that spot. '* How can that be,** said Sir
Hudson, " as the sentinels have orders only to stop
French people F" I answered, that the sentinel had
said, that he had orders to stop all suspicious peo-
ple ; and that conceiving me to be one, he had
stopped me, for which I could not blame him.
His excellency laughed at this, then observed that
he would not enlarge the limits, that they were
fixed ; but that he would give General Bonaparte
leave to extend his rides in different directions,
and ordered me to tell him, " that he might ride
within the old limits unaccompanied, that no im-
pediment would be opposed.**
Saw Napoleon shortly after^ to whom I con*
VOL. I. 2 R
306 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
yeyed his excellency's message. He asked me if
the picquets had been placed upon the hills as
formerly, when he used to ride in that direction.
I replied, that I had not observed them. He took
out his glass and looked towards the spot for a
moment.
Informed Napoleon of the Algerine affair, and
gave him a paper which contained the official
detail. After reading it he professed great plea-
sure that those barbarians had been chastised,
but observed that the victory we had gained did
not alter his opinion, as to the best mode of acting
with them. " You might,*' said he, ^^ have settled
it equally well by a blockade. It no doubt re-
flects great credit upon the English sailors for
their bravery and skill ; yet still I think that it
was hazarding too much. To be sure, you ef-
fected a great deal, and got away, because your
seamen are so good ; but that is an additional
reason why you should not run the risk of sacri*-
ficing them against such canaille. There are no
other seamen (except the Americans,) who would
have done what yours have eflfected, or perhaps
have attempted it. Notwithstanding this, and that
you have succeeded, it was madness and an abuse
of the navy, to attack batteries elevated above
your ships, which you could not injure; to en-
gage red hot balls and shells, and run the hazard of
losing a fleet, and so many brave seamen against
A TOICB FROM 8T. HBLBN A. 307
such canaille ; independent of the disgrace which
it would have been to England to be beaten by
the barbarians, which ought to have been the case.
If the Algeiines had fired upon you in coming
down, instead of, like imbeciles, allowing you to
take up your position, quietly, and anchor, as if
you were going to a review, you would not have
succeeded. Suppose the Dey of Algiers had re-
fused to agree to Lord Exmouth's terms the next
day, what could he have done? Nothing. De*
pend upon it, he never would have gone in to at-
tack them a second time with disabled ships, and
powder deficient. He would have been obliged
to withdraw his fleet, and it would have been a
slap in the face for England. Moreover you have
taught those wretches what they wanted for the
defence of the place."
** If you have struck terror into them, and that
the terms you have made,*' continued he, *^be
strictly adhered to for the future, you have done
a great benefit to humanity, as well as having
shewn much maritime skill and bravery ; but I do
not believe that the Algerines will adhere to the
stipulation that prisoners are not to be made
slaves. I fear that they will be worse treated
than they were before, in consequence of those
barbarians not having any hope of ransom ; which
was the only reason they spared the lives of their
captives. But now, havini; lost the hope of mak-
308 A VOICE FKOM ST. HELENA;
mg money by them, they will massacre and throw
them overboard, or else mutilate them horribly;
for you know that they conceive it to be a merito*
rious action to destroy heretics *
He spoke in very high terms of Lord Nelson,
and indeed attempted to palliate that only stigma
to his memory, the execution of Caraccioli ; which
he attributed entirely to his having been deceived
by that wicked woman, Queen Caroline, through
Lady Hamilton, and to the influence which the
latter had over him.
While conversing with Napoleon, General Gour-
gaud sent in his name and entered. He commu-
nicated some information rather in discordance
with the message which the governor had directed
me to deliver. It appeared, that while taking a
ride within the limits, he was stopped about five
o'clock, p. m. by the sentinel at Hut's Gate, and
detained, until released by the Serjeant com-
manding the guard. He added, that almost every
time he went out, the same thing occurred, the
sentinels wishing to screen themselves from any
responsibility.
6th. — Communicated this to Sir Hudson Lowe,
and brought him a letter from Captain Poppleton
on the subject. His excellency denied that the
sentinels had ever received any new orders ; and
that it was the fault of the sentinel.
Cipriani informed me that Pozzo di Borgo was
X VOICE FROM ST. HELENA* 309
the son of a shepherd in Corsica, who used to
bring eggs, milk, and butter to the Bonaparte fa-
mily. Being a smart boy, he was noticed by Ma^-
dame M^re, who paid for his schooling. After-
wards, through the interest of the family, he was
chosen deputy to the legislative body, as their
sons were too young to be elected. He returned
to Corsica ba procuratore generalcy where he united
himself with Peraldi, an implacable enemy of the
Bonapartes, and consequently became one him-
sdfl
By the same authority I was informed that
Masseria, on his arrival at Paiis in order to obtain
xm interview with Napoleon, had applied to him^
(Cipriani), for advice how to accomplish this ob-
ject, stating that he intended to apply to the Arch
Chancellor- Cipriani advised him by no means
to do so, as possibly he might be arrested and
tried, (being an emigrant,) in which case he must
be condemned to death ; but to apply to Mar-
dame Mi^re, to whom he was known. Masseria
followed his advice, and s.uceeeded in obtaining
an interview, although he failed in the attempt to
open a negociation. In a subsequent endeavour to
obtain another, he received a hint to quit France.
On making inquiry at Hut's Gate, the Serjeant
commanding the guard shewed a scrap of paper
containing the orders to the sentinels, which w-ere
310 A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
^ that none of the French, not even Bonaparte
himself, were to be permitted to pass that post,
unless accompanied by a British officer." The
Serjeant also said, what indeed was notorious, that
Sir Hudson Lowe frequently gave verbal orders
himself, not only to the non-commissioned officers
of the guard, but sometimes to the sentinels them*
selves. That those orders might be written down
afterwards, or they might not.
Dined with Sir Pulteney Malcolm in town.
7th. — ^Napoleon did not retire to rest until three
in the morning, having been employed dictating
and writing until that hour. He got up agsun at
five, and' went into a warm bath. Eat nothing
until seven in the evening, and went to bed before
eight.
8th. — Had some further conversation concern-
ing the Algerine business. Asked him if it were
true that Desaix had, a little before his death, sent
a message of the following purport to him. "Tell
the fii-st consul that I regret dying before I have
done sufficient to make my name known to pos-
terity.* Napoleon replied, " it was true," and ac-
companied it with some warm eulogiums on De-
saix. He breakfasted this morning in the English
manner, upon a little toast and tea. Weather so
foggy that signals could not be passed.
\Qth. — Sir Pulteney Malcolm^ accompanied by
A VOICE FBOM ST. HELENA. ' 311
Captmns Meynel and Wauchope, R. N., came
to Longwood, and had an interview with Napo-
leon. He recounted to the admiral a sketch of his
life.
Went to town, and applied to Sir Thomas
Reade that permission might be granted to the
French to purchase two cows, that a little good
milk might be provided for the establishment.
The fog so thick, and the weather so bad, that
the signal of airs well could not be seen. Order-
lies sent to acquaint the governor and admiral.
llth. — ^Weather still very bad.
I2th. — Saw Napoleon in his dressing-room.
Gave him a newspaper of the 3rd of October,
1816. Had some conversation with him relative
to Chateaubriand, Sir Robert Wilson, &c. I ob-
served, that some persons were surprised that he
had never written, or caused to be written, an an-
swer to Sir Robert Wilson's work, and to others
containing similar assertions. He replied, that
it was unnecessary; that they would fall to the
ground of themselves ; that Sir Robert had al-
ready contradicted it, by the answer which he had
given in his interrogation, when tried in Paris for
having assisted Lavalette in his escape ; and that
he was convinced Wilson was now sorry for hav-
ing published what he then had been led to believe
was true. That moreover the English, who re-
312 A TOICB FROM ST. RBLSNA.
turned from their travels in Prance, would return
undeceived as to his character, and would unde-
ceive their countrymen.
I asked if he had not been very thin when he
was in Egypt. He answered^ that he was at that
time extremely thin, although possessed of a
strong and robust constitution. That he had sup-
ported what would have killed most other men.
After his thirty-sixth year he began to grow fat.
He told me that he had frequently laboured in
state affairs for fifteen hours, without a moments
cessation, or even having taken any nourishment.
On one occasion, he had continued at his labours
for three days and nights without lying down to
sleep.
When Napoleon was rising up from table this
day, and in the act of taking his hat off the side-
board, a large rat sprang out of it, and ran be«
tween his legs to the surprise of those present.
I3th. — Made inquiries from the purveyor if
credit were given to the establishment on any
articles allowed them by government during the
week, which had not been consumed, and whe-
ther they might be permitted to appropriate the
value of such articles as had not been used, to
increase the allowance of others, of which they had
not a sufficient quantity ; or whether the savings
80 made, were to be credited to government?
▲ VOICB FROM 8T. HELENA. 813
TTic reply was, *^any saving made by the establish-
ment upon the English confectionary allowed to
them, may be carried to increase the quantity of
y^;etables allowed ; but all and eveiy other saying
is to be credited to government, and not to the
French. That some weeks back, no saving of any
description was permitted to be appropriated to
increase the allowances in which there might be a
deficiency; but after several representations had
been made by me during Napoleon's illness, of
the deficiency of vegetables, Sir Hudson Lowe
had directed, that the value of the confectionary
not used by them,* might be carried over to in-
crease the allowance of provisions ; that a very
severe reprimand had been given to the purveyors,
in a letter from Major Gorrequer, for having cre-
dited the value of the fruit allowed (when none
was to be procured on the island), to increase the
quantity of vegetables, accompanied by a strict
order never to repeat it."
I4th. — Made inquiries from Brigade Major Har-
rison, who was stationed at Hut's Gate, if any
alteration had been made in the orders, so as to
allow Napoleon to pass the picquet at that gate,
and to go round by Miss Mason's and Woody
Range^ unaccompanied by a British officer? Major
* The French rarely used any of the confectionary sent from En^
land, ai Pi^ron, the chef (t office, was very superior in his art
YOU I. 2 8
814 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA;
Harrison replied, that no change of orders to that
effect had been given, and that if he attempted to
pass he would be stopped by the sentinels. He
added, that General Gonrgaud had asked him the
same question yesterday, to whom he had returned
a similar answer. Cipriani in town purchasing
sheep.
15th. — Saw Napoleon in his bath. He was ra^
ther low spirited and thoughtful. Made somef
observations about the governor's not having kept
his word relative to the proposed intermediation
through the medium of the admiral.
17th. — Madame Bertrand delivered of a fine
boy, at half-past four o'clock. Her accouche-
ment was followed by some dangerous symp-
toms.
Sir Hudson Lowe came up to Longwood, and
asked me, " if I had had any conversation with Na-
poleon touching the admiral since he had seen me ^*
I replied, that he " appeared much surprised that
he (the governor) had not acted upon the proposed
intermediation by means of the admiral." Sir
Hudson LfOwe observed ^^ that he had considered
the negociation to be broken off, by Greneral Bo-
naparte's having sent to him a number of stric-
tures upon the restrictions of October last, written
in a violent manner, and containing falsehoods ;
and by the tenor of the remarks written upon
the back of the answer delivered by him to the
A ,TQJCfi FROM Vr. HBI^NM SUt
original proposition. That hOiWaSfiignoranit tfli6*!
ther tbey intended those remarks for his pemsa^
or to be sent to England. That the frequent use
ef the word * emperor,^ in the strictures written
by Count Bertrand, was sufficient for him to break
off the affair." I replied, that the strictures bad
merely been sent by Napoleon for his own consi*
deration. His excellency then began to inveigh
igainst Count Las Cases, whom be accused. of
^ having been the cause of much mischief between
Bonaparte and himself; said he had asserted in
his journal, that Bonaparte had dedared, that
he abhorred the sight of the British uniform, or
of a British officer ; that he held both in abomi-
nation ; and that I had better take an opportunity
to tell him this, and add, that I had heard him (the
governor) say, that he did not believe that he had
ever said so.**
Sir Hudson then asked me if ^ I had informed
General Bonaparte, that he was at liberty to ride
round by Miss Mason^s and Woody Range unac«
companied T I replied, that I had, but that Ma-
jor Harrison had asserted the contrary to Gene-
ral Gourgaud and myself. His excellency said,
that since that time, permission had been granted,
of which be desired me to inform General Bona«
parte ; as well as of his reasons for not having gone
on any further with the proposed intermediation.
AlsOj ^^ that he dsdly expected good newm from
S16 ▲ YOICB FROM 8T. HBLBNA.
England for the French^ and hoped he should be
permitted by the English government to render
their situation more comfortable.**
In the evening, however, his excellency changed
his mind^ and ordered me ^^ not to communicate
any thing to General Bonaparte on the subject of
the ride to the left of Hut*s Gate, but to mention
every thing else he had directed me.
18M. — ^Napoleon sent for me. Complained of
severe headach, and made many inquiries con-
cerning Madame Bertrand, about whose state of
health he appeared very anxious. I informed him
of the real cause of the unpleasant symptoms
which had appeared.
Acqusdnted him with the causes which the go-
vernor had assigned yesterday, as his reasons
for not having proceeded farther in the proposed
intermediation^ and the other matters that I was
directed to tell him. Napoleon replied, ** I never
intended to break off the negociation. The ob-
servations were sent to him, because he asked
for them himself, and desired to know what we
complained of. It was never intended as a re-
fusal, nor to be sent to England, as it was only
a copy of what I once intended to send. I
wished,** continued he, " to have had the admiral
present at any agreement which might be made, in
order to be able to call upon him hereafter as a
jnaa of honour and an Englishmani to bear wit-
Ar VOICE FHOM ST« HELENA^ 317
nes9 to whatever was agreed upon, that the go-
vernor might not be able to change the orders
and directions, subsequently deny what had been
settled^ and then say that he had changed nothing.
But this governor never intended to call in the
admiral. It was all a trick. ^E un uomo senza
fedeT I said that the governor had informed me
that he had written to England, and daily ex-
pected orders to ameliorate his condition. " He
has never written for any such thing," replied
Napoleon ; *^ he sees that he has gone too far,
and now he awaits the arrival of some ship from
England^ in order that he may throw the weight
and odium of those restrictions upon the minis-
ters, and say that he has written and got them
taken off. The ministers have merely given him
directions to take every precaution to prevent me
from escaping; all the rest is discretional. He
treats us as if we were so many peasants, or poor
simple creatures, who could be duped by his
shallow artifices."
The Adamant arrived from the Cape. A present
of some fruit sent by Lady Malcolm to Napoleon,
Went to town, and procured some newspapers,
which I gave to Napoleon on my return. As-
sisted in explaining some of the passages to him.
Repeated an anecdote which I had heard about
his son, at which he laughed much, appeared
entertained, and brightened up. Made me re*
318 A YOICB FROM St. HBLBNA.
peat it again ; asked about Marie Louise, and de^
sired me to endeavour to see all the newspapers
that arrived, in order, that if I could not procure
the loan of them, I should be able to inform him
of any thing they might contain relative to his
wife and child. ^^For,* added he, *'one reason
that this governor does not send up a regular
series of papers, is to prevent me from seeing any
article which he thinks would g^ve me pleasure
especially such as contain some little information
about my son or my wife.**
19/A. — Sir Hudson Lowe sent for me. Pro*
ceeded to Plantation House. Communicated to him
Napoleon*s reply to the message he had charged
me to deliver on the 17th, concealing any offensive
epithets, and otherwise moderating the manner*
Sir HudsQU said, ''that he had never asked for the
observations on the restrictions. That he believed
he had asked what they complained of, and that
he was glad to know they had not intended to
break off the accommodation by sending them."
A little afterwards, however, his excellency
began to wax warm, and said, "that the per-
son who had ordered observations to be written
couched in such language, and containing lies,
could not be actuated by any conciliatory views,
and he should take no positive steps in the mat-
ter. That he conceived a peinson's proposing an-
other for a mediator could have no other object
A TOICS FROM ST^ HSLBKA. 319.
\n yiew than to make some concession or apology i
if such were Greneral Bonaparte's views, he (Sir
Hadson) should think it advisable to employ one^
and not otherwise.** He then asked me, ^^ if such
were General Bonaparte's intentions ?** I told his
excellency, that I could assure him Napoleon
had no such intention, nor ever had. Sir Hud*
son, after some hazardous assertions relative to
Napoleon's motives, got up, walked into another
room, from whence he returned with a volume of
the Quarterly Review, containing an article on
Miof 8 work upon Egypt, which he put into my
hands, and with a triumphant laugh pointed out
the following passage, which he desired me to read
aloud. ^^ He (Bonaparte) understands enough of
^nankind to dazzle the weak, to dupe the vain, to
overawe the timid, and to make the wicked his in*
Btruments. But of all beyond this, Bonaparte is
grossly and brutally ignorant. Of the strength of
patriotism, the enthusiasm of virtue, the fortitude
of duty, he knows nothing, and can comprehend
nothing." During the time I was reading this,
his excellency indulged in bursts of laughter. He
afterwards made me observe a definition of the
word caractire in a posthumous work of Voltaire's,
(I think) of which he said General Bonaparte must
have been ignorant, or he would not be so fond of
using the word.
Subsequently, Sir Hudson Lowe said that '^ G^-
%0 A roica FROM st. hblbna;
aeral Bonaparte ought to send the admiral to lum.*
I observed that Sir Pulteney Malcolm would not
undertake any office of the kind, unless first spoken
to and authorized by him (Sir Hudson) to under-
take it. That as he had now the complaints of the
French in his possession, he might let the admiral
know how far he would agree to their demands ;
and, by making that officer acqumnted with his
intentions, the latter would know how to act and
what answer to make. Sir Hudson recurred again
to the language in which the observations on his
restrictions were couched, and after a discusmon
which continued for some time, gave me a me&-
sage similar to that which he had done on
the 17th, with the addition, " that at the time be
had foreseen that the request to see Las Cases,
which he could not grant, would probably break
off the proposed accommodation." He then told
me that I iiiigbt borrow any books I liked in his
A TOrCX FROM 8T« HELBNA. 331
fereuTj de Roi^ et de Prince^^ put it into my hand,
and with a peculiar giin^ said^ ^ you had better
taike General Bonaparte this also. Perhaps he
may find some characters in it resembling him-
self."
20M. — Cipriani in town^ purchasing meat, but-
ter, and other necessaries. Sir Thomas Reade
very active in assisting him to procure them.
2\st. — Saw Napoleon in the evening. Gave
him FlUef s libel, mentioning at the same time,
some of the falsehoods contained in it ; amongst
others the incestuous practices which the wretch
who wrote it asserted to be prevalent in England.
He appeared surprised and shocked at this, and
observed that malice frequently defeated itself.
When I mentioned that Fillet had asserted that
the French naval officers were more skilful and
manoeuvred better than the English, he smiled
contemptuously, and observed, *^ truly, they have
proved it by the result of their actions.**
I then told him that I had got a book entitled
^Amours secretes de NapoUan Bonaparte^ but
that it was a foolish work. He laughed, and de-
sired me to bring it to him. *^ It will at least
make me laugh,** said he. I accordingly brought
* Famons Impostors^ or Historiei of manf pitiful Wretchet of low
biith of aU Nations, who have uiorped the office of Emperor, King,
^rMnea.
TOU I. 2 T
322 A VOICE FROM ST. HBUNA.
it. He observed a print in the book which repre-
sented him plung^g a sword into a balloon, be*
cause the manager of it would not let him ascend,
and remarked, " It is believed by some that 1 did
what is represented here, and I have heard that it
was asserted by persons who knew me well, but
it is not true. The circumstance represented real-
ly occurred, but the actor was one of the comitd,
a young man of great bravery, of a singular ap-
pearance and peculiar manner, always elevated
upon his tiptoes, and loving to walk near the
brink of precipices."
Some one cainu into the room now, to whom
he cried " eh h'ten, voild, mes amours tecretes^
lie then ran tlirougli the book, read out some
parts, laugliing very heartily, but observed that it
was monstrous silly; that they had not even de-
scribed him to be a wicked man. After having
perused a portion of it which I had not read, be
A VOICB FROM 8T. HELENA* 323
Bertrand and Montholon in the billiard-room,
which he has converted into a cabinet de travaiL
Occasionally he amuses himself with collecting
the balls together and endeavouring to roll them
all into the opposite comer-pocket.
Sir Hudson Lowe sent me up some coffee for
Napoleon's own use, which he said was of very
good quality, and which he strongly recommended*
23rrf. — ^Napoleon in good spirits. Spoke about
Rllef s book. Observed that he had no recollec-
tion whatever of such a name. " Probably," said
be, ^^ Pillet is some person who has been harshly
treated by you in the prison-ships (pontonsjy and
has written in a bad humour and full of malice
against the English, which is evidently displayed
in his work. There is," continued he, " only one
statement in the book which I believe to be cor-
rect, viz. that relative to the treatment of the pri-
soners in the pontons. It was barbarous on the
part of your government to immure a number of
poor wretches of soldiers, who had not been ac-
customed to the sea, on board of ships so many
hours every night, without fresh air. There was
something horrid," continued he, "in the treat-
ment of the prisoners in England. The very
idea of being put on board of a ship, and kept
there for several years, has something dreadful in
it. Even your seamen hate the idea of being al-
ways on board of ships, and run to seek the de-
334 A TOtCB FROM ST. HELENA.
lights <^ the shore ^enever tbey can. There was
nothing which so much irritated the nations of tte
continent against yon . For yoar ministers not only
heaped Frenchmen in them, hut also prisoners of
all other nations at war with you. I received so
many complmnts abont the barbarons treatment
to which they were subjected in the portions, a
treatment so contrary to that practised in France
towards the English, that at last I gare orders
that all the English prisoners should be put on
hoard of pontojts, which were to be prepared for
that purpose, and to be treated precisely as you
treated mine in England. Had I remained in
France it would have been carried into execu-
tion, and would have had a good effect, for 1
would have given every liberty and &cility to the
English so confined to vent their complaints, and
your ministry would, in spite of themselves, have
been obliged to remove the French from the pon-
A VOICE FBOM 8T. HBLKNA« 325
treated well : at least my intentions towards them
were good. Some abuses existed doubtless, as
there always will under similar circumstances ;
but that was not my fault. Whenever they came
to my knowledge, I always punished the guilty.
There was Mrion ; as soon as I found out his
robberies, I gave orders to have him tried, and I
would have had him hanged, i^ dreading the re-
sult, he had not shot himself. Others did the
same. It is impossible that any government could
have given more lenient directions for the treat*
ment of prisoners of war than those which were
issued by me ; but I could not help some abuses
being practised. I always punished the authors
of them when they came to my knowledge. LiCt
the thousands of English prisoners who were in
France be asked to state candidly the manner in
which they were treated. Tliere are some of them
now in this island. When they attempted to
escape and were retaken, then indeed they were
closely confined ; but never were treated in such a
barbarous manner as you treated mine in your
pontons. Your ministers made a great noise
about my having employed French prisoners who
had broken their parole and escaped. But the
prisoners of your nation were the first to set the
example to escape, and your ministers employ-
ed them afterwards. In retaliation, I of course
did the saine. I published the names of several
326 A VOICE mow st. helbna.
Englishmen who broke their parole previous to
the French having done so, and who were after-
wards employed by yon ; nay I did more, I
made an oflfer to your ministers to send back all
the French prisoners who had violated their pa-
role from the beginning of the war, provided they
would in like manner send back all the English
who had done the like. They, however, refused
to consent to this. What more couM I do ?
Your ministers made a great outcry about the
English travellers that I detained inFVance; al-
tliough they themselves had set the example, by
seizing upon all the French vessels and persons
on board of them, upon whom they could lay
their hands, either in their harbours, or at sea,
before the declaration of war, and before I bad
detained the English in France. J said then, if
you detain my travellers at sea, where you can do
what you like, I will detain yours at land, where
A YOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 327
in other cases^ they turn, disguise, or suppress
every thing, as best answers their views.**
I made some observations relative to the ca-
lumnious assertions of Pillet, of the general de-
pravity alleged by him to exist amongst the Eng-
lish ladies, and the horrible assertions he had put
forth ; and maintained, that in no country was
there less reason for supposing that an improper
connexion e^sted between near relations ; nor
in any country were there to be found females
more delicate, or more irreproachable in their
mode of life ; pointing out to the emperor that it
was evident Pillet had kept very low company, by
his assertions about sweethearts, which I explain-
ed was a word in habitual use only amongst cham-
bermaids, low shop-keepers* daughters, and others
of a similar rank, although Pillet had the impu-
dence to assert that such a term was in familiar
use with young ladies of the first^ respectability.
"True,** said Napoleon, "I fancy that he never
saw any English women on board of his ship, ex-
cept puttane of the lowest class. He had," conti-
nued he, " a fine opportunity truly of learning the
manners and customs of the English, confined as
he was on board of a ponton for seven or eight
years. He defeated his own intention ; for in
some parts he has written so many lies and horrors
of the English, that the truth which he has stated
in another part will not be credited. His book is
928 A VOICB FROM 8T. H8LBN4%
like those which have described me as a mouBtet
delighting in bloodshed, in crimes and atrocities 9
that merely to gratify a sanguinary disposition^ I
drove my carriage over the bodies of the killed and
wounded in battle. His book is just as true, and
in like manner defeats the intentions of the pnl^
lisher. I was indeed pleased to see those violent
works, as I knew that no person of sense or reasons
ing would believe them. Those written with an
appearance of moderation and impartiality were
the only ones I had to fear.**
I asked the emperor then if he had ever read
Miot*s history of the expedition to Egypt. " What,
the commissary ?** replied he. " I believe Las
Cases gave me a copy ; moreover it was published
in my time.** He then desired me to bring the
one which I had, that he might compare them«
He observed, " Miot was a polisson^ whom, to-
gether with his brother, I raised from the dirt.
He says that I threatened him for writing the
book, which is a falsehood. I said to his brother
once that he might as well not have published
untruths. He was a man who had always fear
before his eyes. What does he say about the
poisoning affair and the shooting at Jaffa ?** I
replied^ that as to the poisoning, Miot declared,
he could say no more than that such had been
the current report ; but that he positively as-
serted that he (Napoleon) had caused between
A VOICK FROM ST. HRLBNA* 839
three and four thooBand Turks to be shot, some
days after the capture of Jaffa. Napoleon an-
sweredj ^ It is not true that there were so many.
I ordered about a thousand or twelve hundred to
be shot, which was done. The reason was, that
amongst the garrison of Jaffa, a number of Turkish
troops were discovered, whom I had taken a short
time before at El-Arish, and sent to Bagdat upon
their parole not to serve again, or to be found in
arms against me for a year. I had caused them
to be escorted twelve leagues on their way to
Bagdaty by a division of my army. But those
Turks, instead of proceeding to Bagdat, threw
themselves into Jafla^ defended it to the last, and
cost mq a number of brave men to take it, whose
lives would have been spared, if the others had
not reinforced the garrison of Jaffa. Moreover,
before I attacked the town, I sent them a flag
of truce. Immediately afterwards we saw the
head of the bearer elevated on a pole over the
wall. Now if I had spared them again, and sent
them away upon their parole, they would directly
have gone to St. Jean d*Acre, where they would
have played over again the same scene that they
have done at Jaffa. In justice to the lives of my
soldiers^ as every general ought to consider him-*
self as their father, and them as his children, I
could not allow this. To leave as a guard a poiv
Uon of my army^ already miall and reduced ia
VOL. I. 2 u
S30 A TOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA.
number^ in consequence of the breach of faith of
those wretches ; was impossible. Indeed, to have
acted otherwise than as I did, would probably
have caused the destruction of my whole army.
I therefore, availing myself of the rights of war,
which authorize the putting to death prisoners
taken under such circumstances; independent 6f
the right given to me by having taken the city by
assault, and that of retaliation on the Turks, or-
dered that the prisoners taken at £1-Arish, who,
in defiance of their capitulation, had been found
bearing arms against me, should be selected out
and shot. The rest, amounting to a considerable
number, were spared. I would," continued he, " do
the same thing again to-morrow, and so would
Wellington, or any general commanding an army
under similar circumstances.**
V " Previous to leaving Jaffa,** continued Napo-
leon, *' and after the greatest number of the sick
and wounded had been embarked, it was reported
to me that there were some men in the hospital so
dangerously ill, as not to be able to be moved. I
ordered immediately the chiefs of the medical staff
to consult together upon what was best to be done,
and to ^ve me their opinion on the subject. Ac-
cordingly they met, and found that there were
seven or eight men so dangerously ill, that they
conceived it impossible for them to recover ; and
also that they could not exist twenty-four or
A TOICR FROM ST. HELENA. 331
thirty-six hours longer ; that moreover^ being af«
flieted with the plague^ they would spread that
compliant amongst all those who approached
them. Some of them, who were sensible, perceiv-
ing that they were about to be abandoned, de-
manded with earnest entreaties to be put to death,
Larrey was of opinion that recovery was impos*
sible, and that those poor fellows could not exist
many hours; but as they might live long enough to
be alive when the Turks entered, and experience
the dreadful torments which they were accustomed
to inflict upon their prisoners, he thought it would
be an act of charity to comply with their desires,
and accelerate their end by a few hours. Desge->
nettes did not approve of this, and replied, that
his profession was to cure the sick, and not to des-
patch them. Larrey came to me immediately after-
wards, informed me of the circumstances, and of
what Desgenettes had said ; adding, that perhaps
Desgenettes was right. * But,* continued Larrey,
' those men cannot live for more than a few hours,
twenty-four, or thirty-six at most ; and if you will
leave a rear-guard of cavalry, to stay and protect
them from advanced parties, it will be sufficient.*
Accordingly I ordered four or five hundred ca-
valry to remain behind, and not to quit the place
until all were dead. They did remain, and in*
formed me that all had expired before they had
left the town ; but I have heard since, that Sydney
332 A YOICfi FROM ST. HSL)WA.
Smith found one or two alive, when be entered it;,
This is the truth of the business. Wilson huB»
self^ I dare say^ knows now that he was mistaken.
Sydney Smith never asserted it. I have no doubt
that this story of the poisoning originated in
something said by Desgenettes, who was a ba^
vard, which was afterwards misconceived or in*
correctly repeated. Desgenettes,*" continued he,
^^ was a good man, and notwithstanding that he
had given rise to this story, I was not offended,
and had him near my person in different can^
paigns afterwards. Not that I think it would
have been a crime, had opium been g^ven to
them ; on the contrary, I think it would have
been a virtue. To leave a few mis&ables, who
could not recover, in order that they might be
massacred by the Turks Mrith the most dreadful
tortures, as was their custom, would, I think, have
been cruelty. A general ought to act with his
soldiers, as he would wish should be done to him-
self. Now would not any man under similar ciiv
cumstances, who had his senses, have preferred
dying easily a few hours sooner, rather than ex-
pire under the tortures of those barbarians ? You
have been amongst the Turks, and know what
they are ; I ask you now to place yourself in the
situation of one of those sick men, and that you
were asked which you would prefer, to be left to
suffer the tortures of those miscreaQts, or to. bRve
A'VOICR FROM ST. HELSKA; 833
ot^iuiti administered to your** I replied^ '^most
undoubtedly I should prefer the latter." "Cer-
tainly^ so would any man,** answered Napoleon :
^ if my own son, (and I believe I love my son as
well as any father does his child,) were in a similar
situation with those men, I would advise it to be
done ; and if so situated myself, I would insist
upon it, if I had sense enough, and strength enough
to demand it. But, however, affairs were not so
pressing as to prevent me from leaving a party to
take care of them, which was done. If I had
thought such a measure as that of giving opium
necessary, I would have called a council of war,
have stated the necessity of it, and have published
it in the order of the day. It should have been
no secret. Do you think that if I had been ca«
pable of secretly poisoning my soldiers, (as do«
ing a necessary action secretly would give it the
appearance of a crime,) or of such barbarities as
driving my carriage over the dead, and the still
bleeding bodies of the wounded, that my troops
would have fought for me with an enthusiasm and
affection without a parallel ? No, no, I never
should have done so a second time. Some would
have shot me in passing. Even some of the
wounded, who had sufficient strength left to pull
a trigger, would have despatched me.**
** I never,** continued Napoleon, " committed
a crime in all my political career. At my last
334 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
hour I can assert that. Had I done so^ I should
not have been here now. I should have despatched
the Bourbons. It only rested with me to give my
consent, and they would have ceased to live."
" I have been accused in like manner/* con*
tinned the emperor, " of having committed such
unnecessary crimes as causing Pichegru, Wright,
and others to be assassinated. Instead of desiring
the death of Wright, I was anxious to bring to
light by his testimony, that Pitt had caused as-
sassins to be lauded in France, purposely and
knowingly to murder me. Wright killed himself,
probably that he might not compromise his go-
vernment. What motive could I have in assassi-
nating Pichegru ? A man who was evidently
guilty ; against whom every proof was ready. No
evidence was wanting against him. His condem-
nation was certain. Perhaps I should have par-
doned him. If indeed Moreau had been put to
death, then people might have said that I had
caused his assassination, and with great apparent
justice, for he was the only man I had much rea-
son to fear ; and until then, he was judged inno-
cent. He was ' blue^ like me ; Pichegru was
' white, known to be in the pay of England, and
his death certain.'* Here Napoleon described the
way in which he had been found, and observed,
that the very uncommon mode of his death was a
proof that he had not been murdered. ''There
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 335
never has been^** continued he, '' a man who has
arrived to the pitch of power to which I have done,
without having been sullied by crimes, except
myself. An English lord, a relation of the Duke
of Bedford, who dined with me at Elba, told me
that it was generally believed in England that the
Duke d'Enghien had not been tried, but assassi-
nated in prison in the night ; and was surprised
when I told him that he had had a regular trial,
and that the sentence had been published before
execution."*
I now asked if it were true that Talleyrand had
retained a letter written by the Duke d'Enghien to
him until two days after the duke*s execution ?
Napoleon*s reply was, '^ It is true ; the duke had
written a letter, offering his services, and asking a
command in the army from me, which that scele^
rato* Talleyrand, did not make known until two
days after his execution/* I observed that Tal-
leyrand, by his culpable concealment of the letter,
was virtually guilty of the death of the duke.
" Talleyrand,'* replied Napoleon, " is a briccone,
capable of any crime. I,** continued he, " caused
the Duke d*£nghien to be arrested in consequence
of the Bourbons having landed assassins in
France to murder me. I was resolved to let
them see that the blood of one of their princes
should pay for their attempts, and he was accord-
* Miscreant.
886 A- TDiex FROM m. kbiana;
ingly tried for having borne arms against the re^
publici found guilty, and shot, according to the
existing laws against such a crime.
^ You will never,"* added Napoleon, '^ see the
truth represented by your ministers, where France
is concerned. Your great Lord Chatham said,
speaking of your nation, ^ if we deal £Eurly or justly
with France, England will not exist for four-atid-
twenty hours/ "
After this, I informed the emperor of the mes«
sage which Sir Hudson Lowe had directed me to
deliver. He replied, ^ I certainly was very much
vexed at the refusal to allow Las Cases to come
up, as it was an unnecessary cruelty, a vexatious
foolery, particularly when he permitted the French
generals to go down and converse with him as long
as they liked ; and I may say without a witness
having been present ; but I never intended to de-
cline the accommodation, on the contrary. As
to the observations upon his restrictions, in the
last letter he wrote to Bertrand, he mentioned
that he should wish to learn any observations we
might have to oflfer on the subject of the restric-
tions ; and, in consequence, those remarks were
sent to let him know what we thought of his con-
duct, he having pretended that nothing had been
changed. But he never intended to avail himself
of the intermediation of the admiral. What can
be expected from a man who gives false orders ?
A VOICB FROM ST. HBLRNik* 337
A man who tells you that he has given directions
to sentinels and guards which they deny ever hav-
ing received; who says, that we have liberty to
pass in certain directions ; and at the same time
orders the sentinels to stop all suspicious per-
sons. N0W9 in the name of God, who can be
more suspicious to an English sentinel than a
Frenchman, and above all, myself? to guard whom
is his only business here ; and if he does his duty
he will assuredly stop every Frenchman he sees."
I could not help laughing heartily at the emperor s
manner, in which he joined himself, and repeated.
** Un noma incapace che non ha nessuna fede^
After which he desired me to endeavour to pro-
cure him a catalogue of the books that were in the
public library of James Town, and to bring him
as many accounts relative to Egypt and the expe-
ditions there, as I could procure.
Saw Sir Hudson Lowe in town, to whom I
repeated Napoleon's reply. When I came to that
part of it which urged, that in his last letter to
Bertrand he had stated, that he would be glad to
learn any observations, he interrupted me with
*' Ay, that I would be glad to enter into any fur-
ther explanation. Yes, I recollect that,** but he
did not seem to like to dwell on the subject, and
observed, that it appeared General Bonaparte's
answer was the same as before ; and desired me
VOL. I. 2 X
338 A VOICB FROM 8T. HELENA.
to be sure to tell him that Las Cases knew just
as much of England as Pillet.
24th. — Cipriani in town, employed as usual,
endeavouring to procure some good articles of
viands.
26th. — ^Napoleon went out of the house, (being
the first time since the 20th of November last,) to
pay a visit to Countess Bertrand, whom he com-
plimented much upon her beautiful child. " Sire,*
said the countess, " I have the honour to present
to your majesty le premier Franpais who, since
your arrival, has entered Longwood without Lord
Bathurst's permission."
27th. — ^Napoleon in his bath. Complained of
headach and loss of sleep, which I imputed to his
want of exercise ; and concluded by strongly re-
commending him to practise it. He acknowledged
the justice of my advice, but did not seem to think
that he could follow it.
Informed him that I had a book contcdning an
account of a society named *^ Philadelphi,'* which
had been formed against him, and expressed my
surprise that he had never fallen by the hands
of some conspirators. He replied, ^ No person
knew five minutes before I put it into execution,
that I intended to go out, or where I should go.
For this reason the conspirators were baffled, as
they were ignorant where to lay the scene of their
▲ VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 339
enteiprize. Shortly after I was made consul^ there
was a conspiracy formed a;gainst me by about fifty
persons^ the greatest number of whom had once
been very much attached to me^ and consisted of
officers of the army^ men of science, planters, and
sculptors. They were all stem republicans, their
minds were heated ; each fancied himself a Brutus,
and me a tyrant and another Caesar. Amongst
them was Arena, a countryman of mine, a repub-
lican, and a man who had been much attached to
me before ; but thinking me a tyrant, he deter-
mined to get rid of me, imagining that by doing
so he should render a service to France. There
was also one Ceracchi, another Corsican, and a
&mous sculptor, who, when I was at Milan, had
made a statue of me. He too had been greatly
attached to me, but being a fanatical republi-
can, determined to kill me, for which purpose he
came to Paris, and begged to have the honour of
making another statue for me, alleging, that the
first was not sufficiently well executed for so
great a man. Though I then knew nothing of
the conspiracy which had been formed, I re-
fused to give my consent, as I did not like the
trouble of sitting for two or three hours in the
same posture for some days, especially as I had
sat before to him. This saved my life, his in-
tention being to poniard me whilst I was sitting.
In the mean time, they had arranged their plans.
340 A VOlCn FROM ST. HELENA.
Amongst them there was a captain^ who had
been a great admirer of me. This man agreed
^th the rest that it was necessary to overtom the
tyrant, bat he would not consent that I should
be killed, although he strenuously joined in every
thing else. All the others, however, differed with
him in opinion, and insisted that it was absolutely
necessary to despatch me, as the only means of
preventing France from being enslaved. That
while I lived there would be no chance of free-
dom. This captain, finding that they were de-
termined to shed my blood, notwithstanding all his
arguments and entreaties, gave information of their
names and plans. They were to assassinate me
on the first night that I went to the theatre, in the
passage as I was returning. Every thing was ar-
ranged with the police — ^I went the same evening
to the theatre, and actually passed through the
conspirators j some of whom I knew by person,
and who were armed with poniards under their
cloaks in order to despatch me when I was going
out. Shortly after my arrival the police seized them
all. They were searched and the poniards found
upon them. In France a person cannot be found
guilty of a conspiracy to murder, unless the instru-
ments of death are found upon him. They were
afterwards tried, and some were executed.*
I asked several questions about the infernal-ma-
chine transaction. Napoleon replied in the fdUiow-
A YOICB FROM ST. HELBNiu 341
ing maaner. ^ It was about Christmas time3 and
great festivities were going on. I was much
pressed to go to the opera. I had been greatly
occupied with business all the day, and in the
^Teniog found naiyself sleepy and tired. I threw
myself on a sofa in my wife^s saloon and fell asleepu
Josephine came dowp some time after^ awoke me^
and insisted that I should go to the theatre* She
was an excellent woman, and wished me to do
every thing to ingratiate myself with the people.
You know that when women take a thing into
their heads, they will go through with it, and you
must gratify them. Well, I got up, much against
my inclination^ and went in my carriage, accom-
panied by Lasnes and Bessii^res. I was so drowsy
that I fell asleep in the coach. I was a^eep when
the explosion took place, and I recollect, when I
awoke, experiencing a sensation as if the vehicle
had been raised up, and was passing through a
great body of water. The contrivers of this were a
man named St. Regent, Iinolan, a, religious man^
who has sinee gone to America and turned priest,
and some others. They procured a cart and a bar-
rel resembling that with which water is supplied
through the streets of Paris, with this exception^
that the barrel was put eross-ways. This he
filled with gunpowder^ and placed it and himself
nearly in the turning of the street through which
I was to pass. What saved me was, that ray
342 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
wife^s carriage was the same in appearance as
mine, and there was a guard of fifteen men to
each. Imolan did not know which I was ii^
and indeed was not certain that I should be in
either of them. In order to ascertain this, he
stepped forward to look into the carriage, and as-
sure himself of my presence. One of my guards,
a great tall strong fellow, impatient and angry at
seeing a man stopping up the way and staring into
the carriage, rode up, and gave him a kfck with
his great boot, crying, 'get out of the way, pekin^
which knocked him down. Before he could get
up, the carriage had passed a little on. Imolan
being confused I suppose by his fall, and by his
intentions, not perceiving that the carriage had
passed, ran to the cart and exploded his machine
between the two carriages. It killed the horse of
one of my guards and wounded the rider, knocked
down several houses^ and killed and wounded
about forty or fifty hadauds^ who were gazing to
see n>e pass. The police collected together all
the remnants of the cart and the machine, and in-
vited all the workmen in Paris to come and look
at them. The pieces were recognised by several.
One said, I made this, another that, and all agreed
that they had sold them to two men, who by their
accent were Bas Bretons ; but nothing more
could be ascertained. Shortly after, the hackney
coachmen and others of that description gave a
A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 343
great dinner in the Champs Elys^s to Cesar, my
coachman, thinking that he had saved my life by
his skill and activity at the moment of the explo-
sion, which was not the case, for he was drunk at
the time. It was the guardsman who saved it by
knocking the fellow down. Possibly, my coach-
man may have assisted by driving furiously round
the comer, as he was drunk and not afraid of any
thing. He was so far gone, that he thought the
report of the explosion was that of a salute fired
in honour of my visit to the theatre. At this din-
ner they all took their bottle freely, and dmnk to
Cesar's health. One of them, when he was drunk,
said, ' Cesar, I know the men who tried to blow
the first consul up the other day. In such a street
and such a house (naming them), I saw on that
day a cart like a water-cart coming out of a pas-
sage, which attracted my attention, as I had never
seen one there before. I observed the men and
the horse, and should know them again.* The
minister of police was sent for, he was interro-
gated, and brought them to the house which he
had mentioned, where they found the measure
with which the conspirators had put the powder
into the barrel, with some of the powder still ad-
hering to it. A little also was found scattered
about. The master of the house, on being ques-
tioned, said that there had been people there for
some time, whom he took to be smugglers; that
344 A VOICB FROM ST. HELBNiU
on the day in question they had gone out with tbe
cart, which he supposed to contain « a loading of
smuggled goods. He added, that they were Bos
BrStonSf and that one of them had the appearance
of behig master over the other two. Having now
a description of their persons, every search was
made for them, and St. Regent and Carbon were
taken, tried, and executed. It was a singular cir-
cumstance, that an inspector of police had noticed
the cart standing at the comer of the street for a
long time, and had ordered the person who was
with it to drive it away; but he made some excuse^
and said that there was plenty of room, and the
other seeing what he thought to be a water-cart,
with a miserable horse, not worth twenty francs,
did not suspect any mischief.'*
"At Schoenbrunn,** continued the emperor, "I
had a narrow escape. Shortly after the capture
of Vienna, I reviewed my troops at Schoenbrunn.
A young man about eighteen years of age pre*
sented himself to me. He came so close at one
time as to touch me, and said that he wanted
to speak to me. Berthier, who did not like to see
me disturbed then, pushed him to one side, say*
ing, ' if you want to say any thing to the emperor,
you cannot do it now.* He then called Rapp,
who was a German, and said, here is a young
man who wishes to speak to the emperor, see what
he wants and do not let him annoy the emperor;*
A TOICB FROM ST. HELRNA. 34)$
a^er which he called the yoang man^ and told him
thatilapp spoke German, and would answer hira.
Rapp went up to him, and asked him what he
wuflted ? He replied, that he had a memorial to
give to the emperor. Rapp told him that I was
busy, and that be could not speak to me then. He
had his hand in his breast all this time, as if he
had some paper la it to give to me. Finding that
notwithstanding his refusal, he insisted upon seeing
me, and was pushing on, Rapp, who is a violent
man, gave him a blow of his fist, and knocked
him down, or shoved him away to some distance.
He came again afterwards, when the troops were
passing. Rapp, who watched him, ordered some
of the guards to seize and keep him in custody
until after the review, and then bring him to his
quarters, that he might learn what he com-
plained of. The guards observing that he always
kept his right hand in his breast, made him draw
it out, and examined him. Under his Coat they
found a knife as long as my arm. When asked
what he intended to do with it, he replied instant-
ly, * to kill the emperor.' Some short time after-
wards he was brought before me. I asked him
what he wanted ? He replied, ' to kill yoii.* I
asked him what I had done to him to make him
desu'e to take away my life ? He answered, that I
had done a great deal of mischief to his country i
that I had desolated and ruined it by the war
VOL. I. 2 y
346 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
which I had waged agsdnst it. I inquired of him
why he did not kill the Emperor of Austria instead
of me^ as he was the cause of the war and not I ?
He replied^ ' Oh, he is a blockhead, and if he were
killed, another like him would be put upon the
throne ; but if you were dead, it would not be
easy to find such another.* He said that he had
been called upon by God to kill me, and quoted
Judith and Holofemes. Spoke much about re-
ligion, and fancied that he was another Judith and
I a Holofemes. He cited several parts of the
Testament, which he thought appropriate to his
projects. He was the son of a Protestant clergy-
man at Erfurth. He had not made his father
privy to his design, and had left his house with-
out money. I believe that he had sold his watch
to purchase the knife with which he intended to
kill me. He said that he trusted in God to find
him the means to effect it. I called Corvisart,
ordered him to feel his pulse, and see if he were
mad. He did so, and every thing was calm. I
desired him to be taken away and locked up in a
room with a gendarme^ to have no sort of food
for twenty-four hours, but as much cold water as
he liked. I wished to give him time to cool and
reflect, and then to examine him when his stomach
was empty, and at a time when he might not be
supposed to be under the influence of any thing
that vould heat or exalt his imagination. After
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 347
the twenty-four hours were expired, I sent for him
and asked, ' if I were to pardon you, would you
make another attempt upon my life?* He hesi-
tated for a long time, and at last, but with great
difficulty, said that he would not, as then it would
not appear to be the intention of God that he
should kill me, otherwise he would have allowed
him to have done it at first. I ordered him to be
taken away. It was my intention at first to have
pardoned him ; but it was represented to me, that
his hesitation after twenty-four hours fasting, was
a certain sign that his intentions were bad, and that
he still intended to assassinate ; that he was an
enthusiast, a fanatic, and that it would set a very
bad example. Nothing,** continued he, *^ is more
dangerous than one of those religious enthusiasts.
They always aim either at God or the King. He
was left to his fate.**
" Another time,** proceeded the emperor, *' a
letter was sent to me by the King of Saxony, con-
taining information that a certain person was to
leave Stutgard on a particular day for Paris,,
where he would probably arrive on a day that was
pointed out. That his intentions were to murder
me. A minute description of his person was also
given. The police took its measures ; and on the
day pointed out he arrived. They had him
watched. He was seen to enter my chapel, to
which I had gone on the celebration of some fes-
348 A VOICB FROM 8T, HBLBNA.
tival. He was arrested and exammed. He oon«
fessed his intentions, and said, that when the peo-
ple knelt down, on the elevation of the host, he
saw me gazing at the fine women ; at first he in-
tended to advance and .fire at me (in fact he had
advanced near to me at the moment); but upon a
little reflection, thought that would not be sure
enough, and he determined to stab me with a
knife which he had brought for that purpose. I*
did not like to have him executed, and ordered
that he should be kept in prison. When I was no
longer at the head of affairs, this man, who had
been detained in prison for seven months after I
left Paris, and ill-treated, I believe, got his liberty.,
Soon after, he said that his designs were no longer
to kill me ; but that he would murder the King
of Prussia for having ill-treated the Saxons and
Saxony. On my return from Elba I was to be
present at the opening of the legislative body,
which was to be done with great state and cere^
mony. When I went to open the chamber, this
jsame man, who had got in, fell down by some ai>
cident, and a parcel, containing some chemical
preparation, exploded in his pocket, and wouncled
him severely. It never has been clearly ascer-
tained what his intentions were at this time. Jt
caused great alarm amongst the legislative hudf,
and he was arrested. I have «ince heard tbfttilO
tlirew himself into the Seine.**
A./¥(HaB IFROM 8T; HBLBltA.- 349
I tlten wked Napoleon if he bad really intended
to invade Englsmd, and if so, what were his plans ?
He replied, '^ I would have headed it myself. I
had given orders for two fleets to proceed to the
West Indies. Instead of remaining there, they
were merely to shew themselves amongst the
islands, and return directly to Europe, raise the
blockade of Ferrol, take the ships out, proceed to
Brest, where there were about forty sail of the
line, unite and sail to the channel, where they
would not have met with any thing strong enough
to engage them, and clear it of all English men-
of-war. By false intelligence, adroitly managed,
I calculated that you would have sent squadrons
to the East and West Indies and Mediterranean
in search of my fleets. Before they could return,
I would have had the command of the channel for
two months, as I should have had about seventy
sail of the line, besides frigates. I would have
hastened over my flotilla with two hundred thou-
sand men, landed as near Chatham as possible,
and proceeded direct to London, where I calcu-
lated to arrive in four days from the time of my
landing. I would have proclaimed a republic, (I
was first consul then) the abolition of the nobility
and house of peers, the distribution of the pro-
perty of such of the latter as opposed me amongst
my partizans, liberty, equality, and the sove-
v^igDty of the people* I would have allowed the
360 A VOICB FROM ST. HILBNA*
House of Commons to remain; but would have
introduced a great reform. I would have pub^
lished a proclamation, declaring that we came as
friends to the English, and to free the nation from
a corrupt and flagitious aristocracy^ and restore
a popular form of government, a democracy ; all
which would have been confirmed by the conduct
of my army, as I would not have allowed the
slightest outrage to be committed by my troops.
Marauding or ill-treating the inhabitants, or the
most trifling infringement of my orders, I would
have punished with instant death. I think,** con-
tinued he, " that with my promises, together with
what I would actually have effected, I should have
had the support of a great many. In a large city
like London, where there are so many canaille and
so many disaffected, I should have been joined by
a formidable body. I would at the same time have
excited an insurrection in Ireland.** I observed
that his army would have been destroyed piece-
meal, that he would have had a million of men in
arms against him in a short time ; and moreover,
that the English would have burnt London, rather
than have suffered it to fall into his hands. ** No,
no,** S2ud Napoleon, "I do not believe it. You
are too rich and too fond of money. A nation
will not so readily bum its capital. How often
have the Parisians sworn to bury themselves un-
der the ruins of their capital, rather than suffer it
A VOICB FROM 8T. HELENA. 351
to fall into the hands of the enemies of France^
and yet twice it has been taken. There is no
knowing what would have happened, Mr. Doctor.
Neither Pitt, nor you, nor I, could have foretold
what would have been the result. The hope of a
change for the better, and of a division of property,
would have operated wonderfully amongst the
canaille^ especially that of Liondon. The canaille
of all rich nations are nearly alike. I would have
made such promises as would have had a great
effect. What resistance could an undisciplined
army make against mine in a country like Eng-
land, abounding in plains ? I considered all you
have said; but I calculated on the effect that
would be produced by the possession of a great
and rich capital, the bank and all your riches,
the ships in the river and at Chatham. I ex-
pected that I should have had the command of the
Channel for two months, by which I should have
had supplies of troops ; and when your fleet came
back, they would have found their capital in the
hands of an enemy, and their country overwhelmed
by my armies. I would have abolished flogging,
and promised your seamen every thing ; which
would have made a great impression upon their
minds. The proclamations stating that we came
only as friends, to relieve the English from an ob-
noxious and despotic aristocracy, whose object was
to keep the nation eternally at war, in order to en-
352 A VOICE FBOM ST, ||B|4E^A.
rich themselves and their families with the blood of
the people, together with the proclaiming a repub
lie, the abolition of the monarchical govemmenti
and the nobility ; the declaration of the forfdture
of the property of such of the latter as should le-
sist, and its division amongst the partizans of the
revolution, with a general equalization of property^
would have gained me the support of the canaille^
and of all the idle, the profligate, and the disa^
fected in the kingdom.**
I took the liberty of stating, that on £|ccount of
France having been lately revolutionized, there
was a great division of opinion amongst the French,
and consequently not so strong a national spirit^
as was to be found amongst the English. That
from the late frequent vicissitudes in France, the
people contemplated a change of government with
less concern than the English would do ; that if
the English "were not to bum the capital^ as the
Russians had done, in all probability they would
have defended it street by street, and his army
would have met the fate that our*s had experi-
enced at Rosetta and Buenos Ay res. '^ I be-
lieve," repUed the emperor, "that there is more
national spirit in England than in France ; but
still, I do not think that you would have burned
the capital. If, indeed, you had had some weeks*
notice given to you, to enable you to remove your
riches, then it is possible that it .might have been
effected ; but you must consider that you would
A VOICE FROM ST. HKLRNA. 353
not have had time sufficient to organize a plan ;
besides^ Moscow was built of wood, and it was
not the inhabitants who set it on fire. They had
also time to take their measures. As to defend-
ing the town, in the first place I would not have
been bite enough to have acted as you did at Ro-
setta ; for, before you would have had time to
arrange your defence, I should have been at your
doors, and the terror of such an army would
have paralyzed your exertions. I tell you, signor
dottore^ continued the emperor, " that much can
be said on both sides. Having the capital, the
capital," repeated he, " in my hands, would have
produced a wonderful effect.'*
*' After the treaty of Amiens," said Napoleon,
^ I would also have made a good peace with
England. Whatever your ministers may say, I
was always ready to conclude a peace upon terms
equally advantageous to both. I proposed to
form a commercial treaty, by which, for a million
of English manufactured or colonial produce taken
by France, England should take the value of a
million of French goods in return. This was
thought a heinous crime by your ministers, who
reprobated in the most violent manner my pre-
sumption in having made such a proposal. I
would both have made and have kept a fair peace ;
but your ministers always refused to make one on
equal terms, and then wished to persuade the
YOU I. * 2 z
354 A VpICB FROM ST. HELENA*
world that I was the violator of the treaty of
Amiens.**
I asked who were the persons that had em-
ployed the contrivers of the infernal machine. ^ It
is certain,** replied Napoleon, *^ that they were em^
ployed by the Count d* * * * *, and sent over by
Pitt in English ships, and famished with Eng-
lish money. Although your * * * did not actually
suborn them, they knew what they were going to
execute, and furnished them with the means. I
do not believe,** continued he, ^*that Liouis was
privy to it.**
I ventured to ask if he had aimed at universal
dominion. ^* No,** replied Napoleon ; " my inten-
tion was to make France greater than any other
nation ; but universal dominion I did not aim at.
For example, it was not my intention to have
passed the Alps. I purposed, when I had a se-
cond son, which I had reason to hope for, to have
made him king of Italy, with Rome for his capital^
uniting all Italy, Naples, and Sicily into one king*
dom^ and putting Murat out of Naples.** I asked
if he would have given another kingdom to Murat.
** Oh,** replied he, " that would have been easily
settled.**
" If,** said he, " I were at the head of affairs in
England, I would devise some means of paying
off the national debt. I would appropriate to that
purpose the whole of the church livings, except^ a
J. » 1 » ■ *
A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA. 355
tenth, (always excepting tihtose whose incomes
were moderate) in a manner that the salary of the
highest amongst the clergy should not exceed
eight hundred or a thousand a year. What bu-
siness have those priests with such enormous
incomeis? They should follow the directions of
Jesus Christ) who ordered that, as pastors to the
people, they should set an example of moderation,:
humanity, virtue, and poverty, instead of wallow-
ing in riches, luxury, and sloth. In Cambn^y, be-^
fpre the revolution, two thirds of all lands beloag-
ed to the church, and a fourth inmost other pro-
vinces of France. I would appropriate to a simi-^
lar purpose all sinecures, except those enjoyed by
men who had rendered most eminent services to
the state ; and, indeed, even those might be re-
warded by giving them some office, in which they
would be obliged to do something. If you eman-
cipated the Catholics, they would readily pay an
immense sum towards liquidating the nation^s
debt. I cannot conceive,'* continued he, "why
your ministers have not emancipated them. At
the time that all nations are emerging from illibe-
rality and intolerance, you retain your disgraceful
laws which are only worthy of two or three cen-
turies ba^ck. When the Catholic question was
first seriously agitated, I would have given^ fifty
millions to be assured that it would not be grant*
ed ; for it would have entirely ruined my projects
356 A VOICE FROM ST. HELKNA,
upon Ireland ; as the CathoKcs^ if you eIltancq)a^
ed them^ would become as loyal subjects as the
Protestants. I would/* continued he, "impose a
tax of fifty per cent, upon absentees, and perhaps
diminish the interest upon the debt.**
I made some observations u^pon the intolerance
which had been mamfested on some occasions by
the Catholics.
^ The inability to rise above a certain rank, and
to be members of parliament, and other persecu-
tions, once removed from your Catholic brethren.**
replied he, '^ you will find that they will be no
longer intolerant or fanatical. Fanaticism is al*
ways the child of persecution. That intolerance
which you complain of, is also the result of your
oppressive laws. Remove them once, and put
them on a similar footing with the Protestants,
and in a few years you will find the spirit of into^
krance disappear. Do as I did in France with
the Protestants."
^*I observed,** continued the emperor, "a cir-
cumstance in a paper two or three days ago^
which I cannot believe, viz. that there was a pro-
ject in France to make a contract with some
English company to furnish iron pipes to supply
Paris with water, which had met with the appro-
bation of the French government. This, imheciUe&
as I know the Bourbons to be, appears to me not
to be credible, as there are so many thoasand
▲ Y01CB FROM 6T. HELENA. 357
Riannfoctupers in France who could execute it
equally weH. A project so unpopular^ and of so
destructive a tendency to Hiemselves, could be
entertained by none but insane persons. Why, it
would excite the rage and hatrcd of the nation
against the Bourbons more than any plan their
greatest enemies could suggest, to cause their
own rain, and their expulsion a lliird time from
France. If it takes place and be not f<^lowed by
some tenibie consequences to them,** said Napo-
leon with energy, "I am a blockhead, and wiH
fiay th£^ I have always been one. Fiftj^ years
1^0, it would have produced terrible commotion
in France.'*
-QStfu — Oipriani in town purchasing necessaries.
30tk. — Saw Napoleon in the bilKard room.
After some expressions of his sentiments tipon the
hypocrisy of the governor, he directed me to bear
the following message to him : ^ Tell him that in
consequence of his conduct in having accepted
the proposed intermediation of the admiral, de-
claring that he would ehai^e the admiral with it,
and afterwards doing nothing, I conceive him to
be a man senza parola € senzafede.* That he has
broken his word with me, broken a compact which
is held sacred by robbers and Bedouin Arabs^
bot not by the agents of the British ministers.
Tell him that when a man has lost his word^ he
* Without word AXid vithoui bMh*
358 .A VOICE FROM ST* UELKNA.
has lost every thing which distinguishes the man
' from the brute. Tell him that he has forfeited
that distiaction^ and tliat I hold lum to be kife*
rior to the robber of the desert. Independeoit/*
continued he, ^^ of his conduct with respect to
the admiral, he has broken his word about the
Umits. He charged you to inform ine that we
were permitted to ride any where through the old
bounds, and specifically named the path by Mis&
Mason*s. Now Gourgaud went a few days .ago
and asked the question from tlie tuajior at Hut*s
Gate, who told him that he could not pass^ ^id
that no change had been made in the orders by the
governor.**
I now informed the emperor, ^ that since the
time 1^ alluded to^ i^r Hudson Lowe had given
directions to allow him^ (Napoleon,) and any of
bis suite, to pass by the road leading to Miss Ma-
son s> but that thqy could not pass, unless accom-.-
panied by him.'* Napoleon replied^ ^ then it is an
unjtust order, and beyond his power to give. For
by the paper which those generals have signed^
by order of his government, they bind themselves
to undergo siich restrictions as it may be thought
necessary to impose upon me^ and not any more.
Now this is a restriction not imposed upon me^
and consequently cannot be inflicted upon thei%
and is illegal.**
Napoleon directed me to say in addition^ that
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 359
he had foreseen all along, that the governor's hav'
mg accepted of the offer for an intermediation by
means of the admiral, was a mere trick to gain
time, and to prevent a complaint from being sent
home by the Orontes frigate. That in consequence
of the oflfer having been accepted by Sir Hudson
liowe, Count Bertrand had discontinued writing
a complaint, intended to have been submitted to
the Prince Regent and the government. That al-
though it might have failed in producing any re-
dress, still it would be satisfactory to know that
the present ill treatment suffered by him, was the
act and order of the government, and not that of
an inferior officer.
Went to town to deliver this message. On my
arrival found that Sir Hudson Lowe had left it.
Conceiving that Napoleon might alter his mind,
and finding that the Julia had arrived, bringing
news from England, I did not proceed to Planta-
tion House. Got some newspapers and returned
to Longwood. Found Napoleon in a warm bath.
His legs were swelled. On my recommending
exercise, he said that he had some idea of asking
the admiral to ride out with him, but was afraid
that it might get him into a scrape with the go-
vernor.
In one of the papers, there was a report that
the sovei^eignty of Spanish South America had
been offered to his brother Joseph. '^Joseph,**
360 A VOICB FROM ST. HILBNA.
S£dd he^ ^^ although he has heaucoup de talent^ ei
JT esprit^ is too good a man^ and too fond of amuse-
ments and literature, to be a king. However, it
would be of great advantage to England, as yoa
would have all the commerce of Spanish America*
Joseph would not, and indeed could not trade
with either France or Spain, for evident reasons ;
and South America cannot do without importing
immense quantities of European goods. By hav-
ing me in your hands, you could always make
advantageous terms with Joseph, who loves me
sincerely, and would do any thing for me.**
31^/. — ^Went to Plantation House, and made
known to Sir Hudson Liowe the message I was
charged with, in as moderate language as circum*
stances would admit. His excellency replied^
that he did not care what complaints General Bo
naparte sent to England, and that he had already
forwarded his observations upon the restrictions
That he had no objection to receive the admiral
upon the business, but he expected that he should
come to him first and break the matter. I re
marked, that Sir Pulteney Malcolm would cer
tainly not undertake the business, unless first
spoken to and authorized by him, (Sir Hudson,)
and reminded him, that in the first proposition
which had been made for the intervention of the
admiral, it was expressly mentioned that the latter
should be authorized by the governor to undertake
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLKNA. 361
it. Sir Hudson Lowe denied this. I demanded
that a reference should be made to my letter on
the subject. On its being produced^ Sir Hudson
Lowe acknowledged with some expression of dis-
content that I was right. I then reminded him
that he had also said^ on the proposition's having
been made to him, that he would speak to the
admiml himself about it, previous to his attempt-
ing to undertake it. The governor at first denied
this, and after a long discussion, determined upon
giving the following reply : '* The governor is
employed in writing an answer to the observa-
tions of Count Bertrand, and to the paper con-
taining the remarks on his answer to the proposi-
tion for the intervention of the admiral ; and also
in arranging how far his instructions will permit
him to accede to General Bonaparte's wishes.
When these are finished, he will send them to.
Count Bertrand^ and then, if any other arrange-
ment is deemed necessary, the governor will have
no objection to authorize the admii'al, or any other
person Greneral Bonaparte may think proper, to
act as an intermediator, although the intermedia-
tion of any person will have no influence whatso-
ever in inducing the governor to grant more or less
than he would do of his own free will and judg-
ment. ThiSj with the alterations already made
in the restrictions, and the general tenor of the
observations and remarks received from Ixmg-
TOL. I. 3 ▲
362 A TOICB' ' FROM ST. HVLBNA.-
wood* since the governor expressed his rea^ness
to employ an intermediator, and the expectation
of an arrival irom England, has been the cause of
the delay in authorizing the admiral to undertake
the office.**
Sir Hudson desired me to shew this to Napo*
leon, and at the same time gave me a copy of his
own answer to the original proposition, and one of
the remarks that had been made upon it by Na-
poleon, which, together with the tenor of the ob-
servations, he desired me to explain, "were of a
nature to induce a belief that a refusal had been
intended by General Bonaparte.**
I then repeated to Sir Hudson Liowe the ob«
servations made by Napoleon, on the illegality of
his attempting to subject the persons of his suite
to more restrictions than what were imposed upon
himself ; as well as what he had said about <jen.
Gourgaud. Sir Hudson replied, ^ that as gover-
nor he had power to grant a favour, and take it
away when he pleased; that if he conceded one
to General Bonaparte, it did not follow that he
was obliged to grant the same to the rest ; that
they had liberty to go away whenever they pleased^
if they did not like their treatment^ &c.** He also
desired me to repeat, that the prohibition to speak
was an act of civility, or a friendly sort of warn-
ing. I remarked, that I did not think Napdeon
would avail faitnseU of the indulgence, tinl^ tfeJCf
. t
..7->-/
A TOICB PROM ST. HXUNiu t363
flame were granted to all. His excellency replied,
^ that he could not think of allowing General Bo-
naparte's officers to run about the country, telling
lies of him (Sir Hudson) as Las Cases and Mon-
tholon had done^ by having shewn letters to divers
persons. That General Bonaparte would be much
better, if he had not such liars as Montholon, and
stich a blubbering, whining son of a b— h as Ber-
toand about him.**
^wlrsaid, that Napoleon had also remarked, that
itfWas impossible that all the restrictions could
buve been imposed in obedience to specific in-
structions from the ministers, as he had of his
own power taken some of them off, which, had
they been ordered by ministers, he could not have
done without having first obtained their sanction^
for which there had not been yet sufficient time.
His excellency appeared to be taken unawares, as
he inkmediately replied, " They were not ordered
by ministers ; there were no minute details given^
either to me, or to Sir George Cockburn. In facl^
it is left entirely to my judgment, and I may take
what measures I think proper, and, indeed, do as
I like. I have been ordered to take particular
care that he does not escape, and to prevent cor-
respondence of any kind with him^ except through
me. The rest is left to myself.**
Admiral and Lady Malcolm, with Captain
Itfeynel^ had an interview at Longwood. .it u .^
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 365
letter to Captain Poppleton^ directed to Sir Tho*
mas Reade. As Captain Poppleton had orders
to forward all sealed letters to the governor, he
sent it to Plantation House, where it was opened
by Sir Hudson Lowe, and found to contain an
open letter addressed to Bertrand*s father, an*
Bouncing the accouchement of Countess Bertrand,
and a note to Sir Thomas, requesting that it might
be forwarded to Europe through the usual chan-
nels. In the letter were the words, nous dcrivons
d M. de la Touche, &c., to give further information,
&c. Sir Hudson Lowe conceived that this meant
that they had turitten, and immediately wrote a
letter of reprimand to Count Bertrand, which was
despatched in haste by an orderly dragoon.
Saw Sir Hudson Lowe on the hill above Hut*s
Gate, to whom I communicated Napoleon*s reply.
His excellency repeated, that the prohibition to
speak, which had been so much complained of,
was not an order, but rather a request, and an in-
stance of civility on his (Sir Hudson's) part, in
order to prevent the necessity which would other*
wise exist, of the interference of a British officer.
** Did you tell him that ?** said Sir Hudson Lowe.
I answered that I had. ^^Well, what reply did
he make ?** I gave his reply, which did not ap-
pear to please the governor. I subsequently ac-
quainted him that water was so scarce at Long-
wood^ as to make it sometimes impossible to pro*
A VOIGB FROM ST. BBLBNAb 367
tion of doing what has not yet been executed. He
might be excused for not having known the deli-*
cacies of a language not his own, if he did not pre^
tend to offer remarks upon them. In his situation^
he ought to be like a confessor, forget the contents
of letters after haying perused them"
^ What else but la rage to write and to find
fault, could have produced such an epistle to Ber<-
trand.* I am told that there is a cook here who
had formerly served him, who relates, that he was
in the habit of going into the kitchen of Plantation
House, and telling the cook, ^ you shall cut off so
much of this meat and stew it, so much more and
roast it,' and in a similar manner with every other
dish ; and that he was quite at home when he got
into the kitchen. Montholon tells me, that a short
time ago, when debating about the expenses of the
house, he observed that we soiled too many shirts,
and that we must not in future shift ourselves so
often.-
3rd. — Had some conversation with Napoleon
relative to the governor's attempt to explain away
the prohibition to speak. '' I would,** said he,
* Count and Countess Bertrand informed me afterwards^ that Sir
Thomas Reade had offered his services to the countess for the purpose
of forwarding their letters to their friends in Europe through the
channel of Lord Bathurstj and had assured them^ that sending them
to him was precisely the same aa if they were transmitted dirwt to
tiiagOTemor.
¥
368 A YOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
^ give two millions that those restrictions were
signed by the English ministry, in order to shew
to Europe, what base, tyrannical, and dishonour-
able acts they were capable of, and the manner in
which they had fulfilled the promises they had
made of ti*eating me well. According to law, this
governor has no right to impose any restrictions
upon me. The bill, illegal and iniquitous as it is^
says that I shall be subject to such restrictions as
the ministers think fit and necessary, but it does
not say that they shall have the power to delegate
that authority to any other person. Therefore,
every restriction laid upon me, ought not only to
be signed by a minister, but, properly speaking, by
all the ministers assembled.**
** It is possible," continued Napoleon, " that part
of his bad treatment arises from his imbecility and
his fear, for he is a man who has no morale. Un
poco di scaltrezza e molto imbecillita* It is an
injury to his nation, and an indignity and insult
to the emperor of Austria, to the emperor of Rus-
sia, and to all those sovereigns whom I have con-
quered and treated with."
'* I told MiUdi^ continued the emperor, " that
I had paid your nation a great compliment, and
shewed what a high sense I entertained of the
English honour, by giving myself up to them,
after so many years* war, in preference to my
* A little oQimiflig and modi Imbedlitf.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 369
fether-in-law^ or to my old friend. I told her also
that the English would have been my greatest
friends, had I remained in France. United, we
could have conquered the world. Tlie confidence
which I placed in the English shews what an opi-
nion I entertained of them, and what steps I would
have taken to have rendered such a nation my
friends: and I should have succeeded. There
is nothing that I would not have sacrificed to
have been in friendship with them. They were
the only nation I esteemed. As to the Russians,
Austrians, and others,** said he, with an expres-
sion of contempt^ ^^ I had no esteem for them.
Now I am sorry to see that I erred in opinion.
For had I given myself up tb the Emperor of
Austria, he, however he might differ with me in
politics, and think it necessary to dethrone me,
would have embraced me closely as a friend, and
have treated me with every kindness. So also
would my old friend, the Emperor of Russia.
This I told Milddi ; also that the treatment of the
Calabrese to Murat was humanity compared to
it, as the Calabrese soon finished Murat's misery,
but here, ils me tuent h coup d'^pmgles. I think
that your own nation will feel very little obliged
to this governor for having conferred upon it a
dishonour, which will be recorded in history.
For you are proud ; and have the honour of your
nation more at heart than even your money. Wit-
VOL. I. 3 b
370 A VOICB FROM ST^ HELENA.
ness the thousands that your Milords throw away
annually in France and in other parts of the con^
tinent, to raise and exalt the English name. Many
of your nobility and others would voluntarily
have subscribed thousands, to have prevented the
stigma which this imbecille has brought upon your
nation."
Ath. — ^The scarcity of water at Longwood has
daily increased, and the greatest part of what haa
been brought up, sour, turbid, and of a very dis-
agreeable taste, in consequence of having been
conveyed in old wine and rum casks, which ne^
cessarily communicate a sour and unpleasant taste
to the water.
6th. — ^A complaint made officially by Captain
Poppleton to Colonel Wynyard of the state of the
water. Cipriani in town employed as usual.
&th. — Lady Lowe paid a visit to Countess
Bertrand.
Sir Hudson Lowe had a long conversation with
me relative to Napoleon; the purport of which
was, that if he put the limits on their old footing.
Napoleon should not make a practice of visiting
the houses that were situated in them, and at the
same time that he (Napoleon) should not know
that any restriction existed to prevent him. In-
formed him of some of the sentiments which had
been expressed yesterday by Napoleon. His ex-
cellency said, that there was a great diflference
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 371
between limits for exercise and limits for corre-
spondence and communication ; that if he gave
lai^er limits, they must be subject to the restric-
tion of not entering a house^ unless accompanied
by a British officer. I observed that there were
only four houses within the limits of Woody
Range. Sir Hudson said, that perhaps it might
be settled by his giving General Bonaparte a list
of such houses as he would permit him to enter.
I informed him that Napoleon had said that
if be had a mind to intrigue with the commis-
sioners, or with others, he might easily do so by
instructing them to meet him within the limits of
the alarm-house, which was always in his power
to effect ; but that he (Napoleon) would never do
any thing which had the appearance of an intrigue.
Sir Hudson replied, that " General Bonaparte had
never been without intriguing, and never would.**
He then desired me to say, that he daily expected
a ship with fresh orders, and permission to grant
an extension of limits. That he should have no
objection to allow general Bonaparte to enter
into certain houses which he (Sir H.) would point
out, nor indeed to send a list of them to Count
Bertrand.
7th. — Communicated Sir Hudson Lowe's ideas
to Napoleon. " If he were to give me the whole
of the island, on condition that I would pledge
my word not to attempt an escape," replied he,
372 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
*' I would not accept of it, because it would be
equivalent to the acknowledging myself a prisoner,
although at the same time, I would not make the
attempt. I am here by force and not by right. If
I had been taken at Waterioo, pertiaps I might
have had no hesitation in accepting it, although
even in that case, it would be contrary to the law
of nations, as now there is no war. If they were
to oflFer me permission to reside in England on si-
milar conditions^ I would refuse it. I do not under-
stand what he means by correspondence. What
is he afraid of? Perhaps the commissioners. The
admiral never was afraid of his conduct being
published. I hope,** continued Napoleon, "that
you told him I said that he had not the right to
impose any restrictions, unless they were signed
by the ministers." I replied, that I had, and that
the governor had said that he had it in his power
to impose whatever restrictions he thought neces-
sary. "By the bill,"" replied Napoleon, "he has
not the right. By the law of force he can do what
he likes, in the same manner as the English parli-
ament have passed a bill to legalize illegality, and
to authorize a proscription contrary to the laws of
nations, to good faith, and to their own honour.
But even in that, it is not allowed to delegate the
authority."
After some further observations. Napoleon desir-
ed me to communicate to the governor, "that, if he
A. VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 373
sent a Kst to Count Bertrand^ or told him that
within the limits there were two or more houses
which he either suspected or was unwilling that I
should visits I shall not enter either them^ or those
of the commissioners. If he arranges it in this
manner^ it will be understood^ but if he sent a
list of all the houses in the island except one, and
i^ecified that I might enter all but that one, I
would not accept of it. Whereas, on the con-
trary, if he made another list of every house in the
island exeept one, and said that he did not wish
me to go into any of those mentioned in that list,
and made no observation about the remaining one, I
would sooner accept of it than of the first, although
I could go only ini;o one house, whereas by the
other, I could enter all on the island excepting one.
By availing myself of the first, it would appear
like visiting by his permission, whereas the other
would seem to be voluntary, as in consequence
of nothing having been mentioned^ it would be
left at my option to go in or. not. It would be
like a free wilL Tell him this," continued he;
^ although I am sure that it is merely some shuf-
fling trick on his part^ and will come to nothing.**
" I think," added Napoleon, ^ that it is owing
to some small remains of the influence of my stavy
that the English have treated me so ill ; at least
ihaX this man whom they have sent out as gorer-
374 A VOIGK FROM ST. HELENA../
nor, has conducted himself in sach an * * * man-
ner. At least posterity will revenge me.''
The meat has been of so bad a quality for some
days, that the orderly officer has thought it in-
cumbent upon him to return it, accompanied with
official complaints.
8M. — ^Went to Plantation House, and commu-
nicated to Sir Hudson Lowe the purport of th€^
above * mentioned conversation. His excellency
replied, that by the proposed arrangement^ the
principal difficulties were removed, and that he
would speak to Count Bertrand about it. Cipri-
ani in town endeavouring to procure some good
meat.
9th. — Scott, the servant, to whom Count Las
Cases had given the letter, released from prison
under the following conditions, viz. his father to
go security for him, and to forfeit 100/. if his son
ever went beyond the inclosure of the father**
little property.
\Oth. — ^Acquainted Napoleon that X had com-
municated his desires to Sir Hudson Lowe, who
had promised to talk the matter over with Count
Bertrand. Napoleon replied, ''you may depend
upon it that it will end in nothing. It is merely
to deceive you. He will act as he has done in that
affair with the admiral.**
*• Gourgaud," added Napoleon^ " is stopped
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 37^5
at Hiit*s Gate every day. The sentinel cries
* haU; then the Serjeant comes out, and after a sort
of consultation together, says ^pass' "
. Had some conversation about Alexandria. —
'•' Your ministers," said he, " acted most unwise-
ly in not having retained possession of Alexan-
dria. For if you had kept it then, it would
now be an old robbery like Malta, and would
have remained with you quietly. Five thousand
men would be sufficient to garrison it, and it
would pay itself by the great trade you would
have in Egypt. You could prohibit the intro-
duction of all manufactures except English, and
consequently you would have all the commerce
of Egypt, as there is no other sea-port town
in the country. In my opinion, it would be to
you an acquisition far preferable to Gibraltar, or
Malta. Egypt once in possession of the French,
farewell India to the English. This was one of
the grand projects I aimed at. I know not why
you set so great a value upon Gibraltar ; it is a
bad harbour, and costs an enormous sum of mo-
ney. From it you cannot prevent a fleet from
passing into the Mediterranean. When I was so-
vereign of France, I would much rather have seen
Gibraltar in your hands, than in those of the
Spaniards ; because your having possession of it
always fed the hatred of the Spaniards against
you." I observed that it had been reported he
376 A VOICB FROM ST. HELBNA'«
had intended to besiege it, and for that purpose
had marched a great army into Spain ; although
others said that his object was merely to get his
troops a footing in that country. He laughed^
and said, ^^(Test vrai Turkey,** added he, '^must
soon fall, and it will be impossible to divide it
without allotting some portion to France^ which
will be Egypt. But, if you had kept Alexandria^
you would have prevented the French from ob-
taining it, and of ultimately gaining possession
of India, which will certainly follow their posses-
sion of Egypt."
I2th. — Found Sir Hudson Lowe at Plantation
House closeted with Sir Thomas Reade. Had
a conversation with him afterwards in the library
relative to the proposition which had been made
to him on the 8th. His excellency, however,
would not understand that the visiting of only
such houses into which entrance had not been
prohibited by him, and abstaining from entering
all which were marked as objectionable in a list
made by himself, was in the end precisely the
same as the mode which he had suggested of only
visiting certain houses that were specifically named
in a list. He said, with considerable ill-humour,
that General Bonaparte had some design in it,
and that he would not grant his consent. I ob-
served that it was rather unfortunate that he had
desired me to make any proposition on the sub-
A VOICE FROM ST HELENA. 377
ject, as it might afford a foundation for another
charge of shuffling. His excellency replied by
desiring me to tell General Bonaparte, as he had
done on former occasions, that he might consider
himself very fortunate in having so good a man to
deal with, &c.
Mrs. and Misses Balcombe arrived at Long-
wood. I dined with Napoleon in company with
them. He was extremely lively and chatty, and
displayed a fund of causerie rarely to be met with.
He instructed Miss Eliza how to play at Billiards.
In the evening, Napoleon directed me for the
future not to bring him any more communications
or propositions from Sir Hudson Lowe, without
having first asked the latter what the result would
be, provided he, (Napoleon,) agreed to them.
^ (Test un menteur^ said he, " un homme dHnsinua-
tions comme les petits tyrans d'ltalie, qui na rien
d* Anglais, et qui a la rage de tourmenter et de tra-
casser les gensT
Application made on the 10th to Sir Hudson
Lowe to allow Cipriani to go down into the valley
(guarded by a soldier,) to purchase sheep and ve-
getables from the farmers, as the meat sent by the
government was not eatable. . Refused by Sir
Hudson Lowe. The daily allowance of meat, ve-
getables, wines, &c. being carted up in the sun to
Longwood, many of the articles are rendered unfit
for use on the road.
VOL. I. 3 c
378 A YOIGB FROM ST. HELENA.
\4th. — ^Breakfasted with Napoleon^ with whonii
I had a conversation about Russia* " If Paul be^d
lived," said he, " there would have been a peace
with England in a short time, as you would not
have been long able to contend with the united
northern powers. I wrote to Paul to continue,
building ships, and to endeavour to unite the i^orth
against you; not to hazard any battles^ as the.E^og^
lish would gain them, but allow you to.exbausjb
yourselves, and by all means to get a large fle^t
into the Mediterranean." ;
Some conversation then took place relative to
the manner in which the British ministers had
treated him, which he asserted to be much worse
than that which had been practised towards Queen!
Mary.
"Mary," said he, '^was better treated. She
was permitted to write to whom she pleased, and
she was confined in England, which of itself waa
every thing ; it appears that she was persecuted
more on account of her religion by the Puritans,
than from any other cause." I observed that
Mary was accused of having been an accomplice
in the murder of her husband. He replied, "of
that there is not the smallest doubt. She even
married his murderer afterwards. ♦ * * ♦ em-
ploys the murderers of his father. One of them
O ♦ ♦ ♦ is now his aid-de-camp. I must, however,
do him the justice to say, that at T»» » he ob-
A VOICE PROM ST. HELENA. 379
served to me that I paid a great deal of atten-
tion to B • * ♦ *, and begged to know my rear-
sons for it ? I answered, because he is your ge-
neral. ' Cependant,* said ♦ ♦ ♦, * c'est un vilain
coquin. (Test lui qui a assassin^ man pere, and
policy alone has obliged, and obliges me to em-
ploy him, although I wish him dead, and in a
short time will send him about his business.*
Alexander and the king of Prussia,'' continued
•
he, " dined with me every day, and in order to
pay a compliment to * * ♦, I had intended, on the
day that this conversation took place, to have
asked B ♦ ♦ ♦ * to dinner, as being the commander-
in-chief of his army. This displeased ♦ * * who,
although he asked B * * ♦ * to his own table, did
not wish me to do so, because it would have raised
him so high in the eyes of the Russians. Paul,**
continued he, "was muixlered by B****, O****,
P ♦ * *, and others. There was a Cossac, in whom
Paul had confidence, stationed at his door. The
conspirators came up, and demanded entrance.
P * ♦ ♦ told him who he was, and that he wanted
to see the emperor upon immediate business. The
faithful Cossac refused. The conspiratoi*s fell
upon him, and after a desperate resistance, over-
powered and cut him to pieces. Paul, who was
in bed, hearing the noise got out and endeavoured
to escape to the empress's apartments. Unluckily
fur himself, he, in his suspicions, a day or two be-
380 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
fore, bad ordered the door of communication to
be closed up. He then went and concealed him-
self in a press. Meanwhile the conspirators broke
open the door, and running to the bed, perceived
that there was nobody in it. * We are lost,* they
cried, * he has escaped.' P ♦ ♦ ♦, who had more
presence of mind than the rest, went to the bed,
and putting his hands under the bed-clothes said,
'The nest is warm, the bird cannot be far off/
They then began to search, and finally dragged
Paul out of his hiding-place. They presented
him a paper containing his abdication, which they
wanted him to sign. He refused at first, but said
that he would abdicate, if they would release him.
They then seized and knocked him down, and
tried to suffocate him. Paul made a desperate
resistance, and, fearful that assistance might arrive,
3 • ♦ ♦ « despatched him by stamping his heel
into his eyes, and thus beating his brains out,
while the others held him down. Paul in his
struggles for life, once got B ♦ ♦ » ♦'s heel into his
mouth, and bit a piece out of the skin of it.**
I asked him if he thought that Paul had been
mad ? " Latterly," said Napoleon, " I believe that
he was. At first, he was strongly prejudiced
against the revolution, and every person concerned
in it ; but afterwards I had rendered him reason-
able^ and had changed his opinions altogether. If
Paul bad lived, you would have lost India before
— •
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 381
Tiow. An agreement was made between Paul
and myself to invade it. I furnished the plan. I
was to have sent thirty thousand good troops.
He was to send a similar number of the best Rus-
sian soldiers, and forty thousand Cossacs. I was
to subscribe ten millions, for the purchase of
.camels and other requisites for crossing the de-
sert. The King of Prussia was^^to have been ap-
plied to by both of us to grant a passage for my
troops through his dominions, which would have
been immediately granted. I had at the same
time made a demand to the King of Persia for a
passage through his country, which would also
have been granted, although the negotiations were
not entirely concluded, but would have succeeded,
as the Persians were desirous of profiting by it
themselves. My troops were to have gone to
Warsaw, to be joined by the Russians and Cos-
sacs, and to have marched from thence to the
Caspian Sea, where they would have either em-
barked, or have proceeded by land, according to
circumstances. I was beforehand with you, in
sending an ambassador to Persia to make interest
there. Since that time, your ministers have been
imbedlles enough to allow the Russians to get
four provinces, which increase their territories
beyond the mountains. The first year of war that
you will have with the Russians they will take
India from you.**
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. '383
resistance to the Russians, who are brave and
patient. Russia is the more formidable, because
she can never disarm. In Russia, once a soldier^
always a soldier. Barbarians, who, one may say,
have no country, and to whom every country is
better than the one which gave them birth. When
the Cossacs entered France, it was indifferent to
them what women they violated, old or young
were alike to them, as any were preferable to those
they had left behind. Moreover the Russians are
poor, and it is necessary for them to conquer.
When I am dead and gone, my memory will be
esteemed, and I shall be revered in consequence
of having foreseen, and endeavoured to put a stop
to, that which will yet take place. It will be re-
vered when the barbarians of the north will pos-
sess Europe, which would not have happened,
had it not been for you, signori Inglesir
Napoleon expressed great anxiety relative to
Count Montholon, as the governor had made
some insinuations that his removal was in contem-
plation. *^ I should feel," continued he, *^ the
loss of Montholon most sensibly ; as, independent
of his attachment to me, he is most useful, and
endeavours to anticipate all my wants. I know
that it would grieve him much to leave me,
though in truth it would render him a great ser-
vice if he were removed from this desolate place^
and restored to the bosom of his friends^ as
384' A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
he is not proscribed, and has nothing to fear in
France. Moreover, being of a noble family, he
might readily find favour with the Bourbons if he
chose.**
Accompanied Countess Montholon to Planta-^
tion House, to pay a visit to Lady Lowe. Saw
Sir Hudson, who said that " he would not place
any confidence in the assurances of General Bo*
naparte, and was determined that he should not
enter any house unaccompanied by a British offi-
cer." Some discussion then took place relative
to the passes which his excellency had formerly
given to persons who were desirous to visit Long-
wood. Sir Hudson Lowe wished to persuade
me that he had never given a pass for one day
only,* and that Major Gorrequer could testify
to the truth of that. I remarked, that several
persons to whom he had granted passes, had
shewn them to Count Bertrand at Hut's Gate, and
pointed out to him, that on the pass itself the day
had been specified, and on that account they had
begged of Bertrand to exert himself, to induce
Napoleon to see them, as their passes were null
after that day. Sir Hudson angrily replied, that
** they were liars^
Before my departure. Sir Hudson Lowe told
me that I might take some of the numbers of
* This WHS a matter of public notoriety both at St. Helena and
amongst the paseengert to and from England.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 385
the Ambigu to Longwood, and shew them to Ge-
neral Bonaparte.
On my return informed Napoleon that I had
received some numbers of a periodical work called
rJmbigUy which, I added, were extremely abusive
of him. He laughed, and said, " children only care
for abuse f and then desired me to bring them to
him. When he saw them, he said, ^^Ah ! Pelletiei.
He has been libelling me these twenty years. But
I am very glad to get them.**
Countess Montholon, and Mrs. and Miss Bal-
combe, passed an hour in conversation with Na-
poleon after dinner yesterday.
Cipriani in town, employed as customary.
nth. — ^Napoleon observed that he found Pele-
tiers Ambigu very interesting, although it con-
tained many falsehoods and betises. " I have been
reading,** continued he, " the account of the battle
of Waterloo contained in it, which is nearly correct.
I have been considering who could have been the
author. It must have been some person about me.
Had it not been for the imbecility of Grouchy,**
added he, '* I should have gained that day.**
I asked if he thought that Grouchy had betrayed
him intentionally. *'No, no,** replied Napoleon,
"but there was a want of energy on his part.
There was also treason amongst the staff. I be-
lieve that some of the staff officers whom I had
sent to Grouchy^ betrayed me^ and went over to
VOL. I. 3d
386 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
the enemy. Of this, however, I am not certmn, as
I have never seen Grouchy since.
I asked if he had thought Marshal Soult to
have been in his interest ? Napoleon answered,
" certainly, I considered so. But Soult did not
betray Louis, as has been supposed, nor was he
privy to my return and landing in France. For
some days, Soult thought that I was mad^ and
that I must certainly be lost. Notwithstanding
this, appearances were so much against Soult, and
without intending it his acts turned out to be so
favourable to my projects, that, were I on his jury,
and ignorant of what I know, I should condemn
him for having betrayed Louis. But he really
was not privy to it, although Ney in his defence
stated that I told him so. As to the proclamation
which Ney said that I had sent to him, it is not
true. I sent him nothing but orders. I would
have stopped the proclamation, had it been in
my power, as it was unworthy of me. Ney was
deficient in education, or he would have not pub-
lished it, or indeed have acted as he did. For
when he promised the king to bring me back ia
an iron cage, he was sincere, and really meant
what he said, and continued so until two days
before he actually joined me. He ought to have
acted like Oudinot, who asked his troops if they
might be depended upon, to which they unami-
mously replied, 'We will not fight against the
A VOICE FROM ST. HIILJiNA. 387
emperor, nor for the Bourbons/ He could not
prevent the troops from joining me, nor indeed the
peasants, but he went too far."
" Mouton Duvernet," said he, " suffered un-
justly ; at least considering all circumstances, he
did not deserve it more than another. He hung
upon the flanks of my little army for two days,
and his intentions were for the king. But every
one joined me. The enthusiasm was astonishing.
I might have entered Paris with four hundred
thousand men, if I had liked. What is still more
surprising, and I believe unparalleled in history
is, that it was effected without any conspiracy.
There was no plot, no understanding with any of
the generals in France. Not one of them knew
my intentions. In my proclamations consisted tlie
whole of my conspiracy. With them I efTected
every thing. With them I led the nation. Not
even Massena knew of my intention. When he
was informed of my having landed with a few hun-
dred men he disbelieved it, and pronounced it im-
possible, thinking that if I had entertained such a
project I should have made him acquainted with
it. The Bourbons want to make it appear that
a conspiracy existed in the army, which is the
reason they have shot Mouton Duvemet, Ncy,
and others, because my having effected what I
did, not by the aid of a conspiracy, or by force, as
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA* 389
our villi^e : like it, their tijne is past and gone,
they are no longer of the age.'"
'' The Bourbons will find," added he, '' that
their caressing the marshals and generals will not
answer. They must caress the people. To them
they must address themselves. Unless they adopt
some measures to render themselves popular, you
will see a terrible explosion burst forth in France.
The nation will never bear to live debased and
humiliated as it is at present. When I hear of a
nation living without bread, then I will believe
that the French will exist witliout glory.
** At Waterloo not a single soldier betrayed me.
Whatever treason there was, existed among the
generals, and not among the soldiers or the regi*
mental oflicers ; these last were acquainted with
each other's sentiments, and purged themselves by
turning out such as they suspected.**
" Your nation," continued Napoleon, " is chiefly
guided by interest in all its actions. I have found
since I have fallen into your hands, that you have
no more liberty than other countries. I have paid
dearly for the romantic and chivalrous opinion
which I had formed of you.**
Here I repeated nearly what I had said upon
former occasions. Napoleon shook his head, and
replied, " I recollect that Paoli, who was a great
friend to your nation, in fact who was almost an
Englishman, said, on hearing the English extolled
390 A VOICE FROiM ST. HELENA,
as the most generous, the most liberal, and the
most unprejudiced nation on earth, ^ Softly, you
go too far; they are not so generous nor so un-
prejudiced as you imagine; they are very self-in-
terested ; they are a nation of merchants, and ge-
nerally have gain in view. Whenever they do any
thing, they always calculate what profit they shall
derive from it. They are the most calculating peo-
ple in existence.' This Paoli said, not without at
the same time having given you credit for the good
national qualities which you really possess. Now
I believe that Paoli was right."
Napoleon then made some remarks upon Long-
wood, expressed his surprise that some person had
not made a contract to bring a supply of water to
it and to the camp ; stipulating that he should be
permitted to establish a garden in the valley, by
means of which a suflSciency of vegetables might
be produced at a cheap rate, not only for Long-
wood and the camp, but also for the ships. —
^ Here,'* continued he, " if water were brought by
a conduit, Novarre, with the help of two or three
Chinese, would produce a sufficiency of the vege-
tables which we so much want. How preferable
would it be to dispose of the public money in
conducting water to those poor soldiers in camp^
than in digging of ditches and throwing up for-
tifications round this house, just as if an army
were coming to attack it. A man who has no
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 391
regard for his soldiers ought never to have a com-
mand. The greatest necessity of the soldier is
water."
Sir Thomas Reade made a long harangue this
day upon the " impropriety of allowing Bonaparte
any newspapers, unless such as had been previ-
ously inspected by the governor.''
\8th. — Saw Sir Hudson Lowe at Plantation
House. Found him busied in examining some
newspapers for Longwood, several of which he
put aside, as not being, in his opinion, proper to
be sent to Napoleon, observing to me, at the same
time " that however strange it might appear, Ge-
neral Bonaparte ought to be obliged .to him for
not sending him newspapers indiscriminately, as
the perusal of articles written in his own favour
might excite hopes which, when not ultimately
realized, could not fail to afflict him ; that more-
over, the British government thought it improper
to let him know eveiy thing that appeared in the
newspapers."
I9th. — Sir Thomas Reade very busy in circu-
lating reports in the town that " General Bona-
parte was sulky and would see nobody; that the
governor was too good, and that the villain ought
to be put in chains."
21*/. — ^The David transport brought the news
of the arrival of the Adolphus at the Cape, laden
chiefly with iron rails, to surround Napoleons
392 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
house, for which the governor had sent to Eng-
land.
Sir Hudson Lowe came up to Longwood, and
inspected the works throwing up about the stables,
and the sentinels that he had placed. Held a
long conversation with me afterwards about the
restrictions and limits, without coming to any de-
termination.
After having observed that I was responsible ini
some degree to ministers for any unfavourable im-
pressions which might exist upon Napoleon's mind^
his excellency proceeded to catechise me relative
to my conversations with him. I hinted to him
the peculiar delicacy of my situation, and the im-
propriety and indeed impossibility that existed of
my making the disclosures which he required. Sir
Hudson said, *' that he admitted the peculiar deli-
cacy of my situation, but at the same time that I
ought to make a full and ample disclosure to him,
and to him only, of the language made use of by
General Bonaparte, especially of any abusive epi-
thets. That it was necessary for him to know
every thing that passed. That for a man who had
so much intercourse with General Bonaparte, he
thought I was less influenced by him than ninety-
nine out of a hundred would have been. That my
situation was of great importance, and one in
which I could render great services. That abso«
lute silence as to what was going on, except to
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 393
bim, was imperatively necessary, and indeed the
chief requisite."
His excellency then told me, in order, as he
said, to shew the good opinion that he enter-
tained of me, that " he had no scruple in inform-
ing me, that the commissioners were to be looked
upon with great suspicion ; that they were in fact
spies upon every body and upon every thing, and
only wanted to pick something out of me, in order
to send it to their courts ; that I had better be very
cautious, as in all probability they would report
to their employers every thing that I said, as they
had already done to him ; in proof of which he re-
peated to me the tenor of the conversation which I
had held with Baron Sturmer at Plantation House:
on the 21st of Oct. 1816, adding his satisfaction
at having found that I had been cautious in my
remarks. He also said that he had written to
Lord Bathurst in very favourable terms about me,-
and had recommended that my salary should be
augmented to 500/. per annum."
After this his excellency acquainted me that he
had received a letter from young Las Cases for me,
which he would send.
In the evening I received the above-mentioned
letter under an inclosure, containing one to Gene-
ral Gourgaud from his mother, as Sir Hudson de-
scribed it in his note, which I was directed to de-
liver to him. r.
VOL. i» 3 b
394 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
24th. — Mr. Vernon came up to Longwood to
ondoyer Count Bertrand's child. Napoleon play-
ed at Billiards in the evening.
25th. — Cipriani in town, purchasing provisions.
2Sth. — ^Napoleon had very little rest during the
night. Got up at five o'clock and walked about
in the billiard-room for some time. Found him
lying on his sofa. Looked low, and out of spirits.
Saluted me with a faint voice. Gave him a Ports-
mouth paper of the 18th of November last. On
reading some remarks made about the injury that
was likely to accrue to the French interest by the
marriage of the Emperor of Austria and the Prin-
cess of Bavaria, together with an observation that
he. Napoleon, had prevented it even when in the
plenitude of his power ; Napoleon said, •* ceiit vraL
I was apprehensive of the consequences of the al-
liance between the two houses. But what signifies
it now. Under the Bourbons, France will never
be a first-rate power. There is no occasion to be
afraid of her, she will always be an inferior power
under that house of blockheads."
Adverting to the commercial distress of Eng-
land, he observed that Lord Castlereagh deserved
the reprobation of the English nation for the little
care which he had taken of their interests at the
time of the general peace. ** The misfortunes which
befel me,'* said he, " gave such an ascendancy to
England, that almost any demand made by her
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA* 395
would have been granted ; independent of the
right which she had to claim a recompence for
the vast expence which she had been at. An op-
portunity offered itself, which probably will never
occur again, for England to recover and extricate
herself from all her difficulties in a few years, and
to relieve her from the immense load of debt
which weighs her down. Had Castlereagh been
really attentive to the interests of his own country,
he would have embraced, at an early period, the
only opportunity that had been presented to him
to secure such commercial advantages to England
as would have relieved her from her embarrass-
ments. But, instead of this, he only attended to
paying his court to kings and emperors, who flat-
tered his vanity by taking notice of him ; well
knowing that in doing so, they gained the great
point of making him neglect his country's inte-
rests, and consequently benefited their own. He
was completely duped, and will yet be cursed by
your nation.
"I see no other way now," continued he, "to
extricate you from your difficulties, than by re-
ducing the interest of the national debt, confis-
cating the greatest part of the revenues of the
clergy, all the sinecures, diminishing considerably
the army, and establishing a system of reduction
altogether. Let those who want priests pay them.
Your sinking fund is a humbug. Impose a heavr
396 A VOICE FROM ST. H£LEXA..
tax upon absentees. It is too late now for you to
make commercial treaties. Wliat would then have
been considered as only just and reasonable would
now be thought far different. The opportunity is
gone, and the nation is indebted to your imbecilles
of ministers for all the calamities which will befal
it, and which are solely to be attributed to their
criminal neglect,**
" I underetand/ said he, " that the botanist*
is on the eve of departure, without having seen
me. In the most barbarous countries, it would
not be prohibited even to a prisoner under sen-
tence of death to have the consolation of convers-
ing with a person who had lately seen his wife and
child. Even in that worst of courts, the revolu-
tionary tribunal of Fmnce, such an instance of
barbarity and of callousness to all feeling was
never known ; and your nation, which is so much
cried up for liberality, permits such treatment,
I am informed that this botanist has made appli-
cation to see me, which was refused ; and in my
letter to Las Cases, which was read by the go-
vernor, I complained of it as a haidship, and
thereby made application to see him. If I had
asked it in any other manner, I should have ex-
posed myself to the insult of a refusal from this
• Napoleon had been informed, and I believe with truth, that thig
gentleman had seen and conversed with the empress and her son a
flhort time before he left Germany for St. Helena.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 397
hourreau. Cest le comhle dc la cruaut^* He
must indeed be a barbarian who would deny to a
husband and a father the consolation of discours-
ing with a person who had lately seen, spoken to,
and touched his wife, his child," (here Napoleon's
voice faltered) ; " from whose embraces he is for
ever separated by the cruel policy of a few. The
Anthropophagi of the South Seas would not prac-
tise it. Previous to devouring their victims, they
would allow them the consolation of seeing and
conversing with each other. The cruelties which
arc practised here would be disavowed by canni-
bals."
Napoleon now walked up and down for some
time, much agitated. Afterwards he proceeded,
" You see the manner in which he endeavours to
impose upon the passengers going to England,
that he may make them believe he is all goodness
to me, and that it is all my own fault if I do not
receive strangers. That he interests himself so
fer as even to send up his own aid-de-camp to
effect it, although he well knows this last circum-
stance would of itself be sufficient to prevent my
receiving the person whom he accompanied. His
object now is to impre-ss upon the minds of the
public that I hate the sight of an Englishman.
That is the reason he desired you to tell me that
* It 18 the height of cruelty.
398 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
Las Cases had made me say that I abhorred the
sight of the English uniform."
I observed that Sir Hudson Lowe had also
told me that he conceived it to be an invention of
Las Cases. " It is an invention of his own,** re-
plied the emperor, " in order to impose upon you.
If I had hated the English, should I have given
myself up to them, instead of going to the empe-
ror of Russia, or of Austria ? Is it possible that I
could have given a greater proof of esteem for a
nation, than that which I have done for the Eng-
lish, — unfortunately for myself?"
Napoleon now opened the door, called St.
Denis, and in my presence asked him if in Las
Cases' journal it was asserted that he (Napo-
leon) had ever said that he hated the sight of the
English uniform, or the English, or words of a
similar tendency and meaning ? St. Denis replied^
that nothing of the kind was contained in the
journal. ^^ There," said Napoleon, " if Las Cases
had said so, it would have been in his joumaL
He must be wicked who would torment me under
the circumstances in which I am placed. He has
got nothing here,** continued Napoleon, placing
his hand over his heart, ^' and- when there is no-
thing here, the head must be bad : he is a man
unfit to command, or to act for himself. Nature
in forming some men intended that they should
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 399
always remain in a subaltern situation. Such
was Berthier. There was not in the world so
good a chef d'etat major ; but change his occu-
pation^ he was not fit to command five hundred
men. A good scribbler^ like this man, an excel-
lent comfhis. You may see how unfit for com-
mand he is, when he allows himself to be led by
the nose by such a contemptible imhecille as that
Colonel Reade. Have you ever read Gil Bias T
I replied that I had. ^^That eternal smile on
Readers lips,** rejoined Napoleon, *^ is not natural,
and reminds me of Ambrose de Lamela. Like
Lamela*s going to church while he was plotting
to rob his master, it masks his real intentions. I
have been informed/' continued he, " that the
Balcombe*s were interrogated and cross-examined
both by the governor and by his privy councillor,
B.eade, touching what they had heard and seen at
Longwood, and that the father replied, that his
daughters had come here to have the honour of
visiting us, and not as spies.""
March 1st. — ^Napoleon conversed with me for
some time relative to the iron railing said to have
been brought out in the Adolphus. I told him
that it was customary in England to put rails
round the country-houses of gentlemen, at which
he looked rather incredulous.
2nd. — Saw Napoleon in his dressing-room, ly-
ing on his sofa. He was rather low spirited.
400 A VOICB FROM 8T, HELBNA*
looked pale, and complained of diarrhoea. Of the
remedies which I advised, he would only consent
to take freely Of weak chicken-broth, or barley*
water.
During the course of conversation he observed
that he saw a change in the system of the Bourbons
favourable to them, as, instead of employing the
ultra faction, and other violent characters, they
had appointed n^en who had been formerly ^m?
ployed by him, and who had the confidence of the
nation. Amongst others he mentioned Mol6.
Asked Napoleon whether the statement conr
tained in the Observer relative to Clarke*s con-
duct towards Camot^ in having withheld bis pent
sion, and the manner in which he himself was ve^
ported to have acted, were true. Napoleon rer
plied, "it is perfectly true. But I was surprised
to see the papers occupied so much about Clarke,
who is not of sufficient importance for people to
trouble themselves about him.** I asked bis opir
nion of Clarke. He replied, " he is not a man of
talent, but he is laborious and useful in the bureau.
He is, moreover, incorruptible, and saving of the
public money, which he never has appropiiated
to his own use. He is an excellent redacteur. He
is not a soldier, however, nor do I believe that he
ever saw a shot fired in his life. He is infatuated
with his nobility. He pretends that he is de-
scended from the ancient kings of Scotland^ or
▲ VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 4Q1
Ireland, and constantly vaunts of bis noble de-
scent. A good clerk. 1 sent him to Florence as
ambassador^ where he employed himself in no-
thing but turning over the old musty records of
the place, in search of proofs of the nobility of
my family, for you must know that they came
from Florence. He plagued me with letters upoa
this subject, which caused me to write to him to
attend to the business for which he had been sent
to Florence, and not to trouble his head or mine
with his nonsense about nobility; that I was the
^rst of my family. Notwithstanding this, he still
continued his inquiries. When I returned from
Elba he offered his services to me, but I sent him
word that I would not employ any traitors, and
ordered him to his estates." I asked if he thought
that Clarke would have served him Mthfully.
^'Yes,** replied the emperor, '^as long as I tvas the
strongest, like a great many others." I inquired if
it were true that he' had written the letter which
had been attributed to him, announcing to Clarke
the death of his nephew ? He replied, that he
had, and that his name was Elliot.
I remarked that his ancestors were noble. He
replied, they were senators of Florence.
Napoleon then observed, *Mn the papers, they
msJce me serve for all purposes, and say whatever
suits their views. Lord Castlereagh, on. his re-
turn to Ireland, publicly asserted a falsehood
VOL. I. 3 F
402 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
lative to what had been my intentions upon Eng-
land, and put expressions into my mouth since
my arrival here, which I never made use of." I
observed, that in all probability Lord Castle-
reagh had been informed that he had said so. He
replied, '* it may be, but your ministers have lit-
tle scruple in having recourse to falsehood when
they think it will forward any object they have
in view. It is,** continued he, ^^ always disho-
nourable and base to belie the unfortunate, and
doubly so when in your power, and when you
hold a padlock upon the mouth to prexrent a re-
ply."
3rd. — Saw Napoleon dressing. Free from any
complaint. In very high spirits. Laughed and
quizzed me about some young ladies, and asked
me to give all the little news of the town. Ap-
peared to be in better spirits than he had been for
a long time.
Had some further conversation relative to the
governor's declaration that Count Las Cases had,
in his journal, made Napoleon say, that he ab-
horred the sight of the British uniform, and his
excellency's assertion, that Las Cases had endea-
voured to make him hate the English. " I can-
not conceive," said Napoleon, *'what object Las
Cases could have in view by doing so? What
could he gain by it ? On the contrary. Las Cases
always spoke well of the English^ said that he
▲ VOICE FROM ST. HBLENA. 403
had been ten years amongst them^ and had been
always well-treated. It is an invention of this
man's, whose whole superstructure is built upon
lies. I said, certainly, that I did not like to see
officers in uniform, closely attending or watching
me, because the uniform reminded me that I was
considered as a prisoner, and gave rise to unplea-
sant reflections. If even you were to come into
my apartment every day in your uniform, it would
^ve me the idea of your being a gendarme. But
this man has no morale. The admiral had, and
immediately understood the delicacy of it when it
was mentioned to him,**
He then asked some medical questions, went
into the billiard-room, ordered some bottled por-
ter, took a glass of it, saying in English, your
healthy and made me take another. Asked many
questions about porter, and was much surprised
at the low price it bore in England. While walk-
ing about the room, '* TVhat sort of a man did you
take me to be before you became my surgeon ?"
smd he, " What did you think of my character,
and what I was capable of ? Give me your real
opinion frankly/' I replied, " I thought you to be
a man, whose stupendous talents were only to be
equalled by your measureless ambition, and al-
though I did not give credit to one-tenth part of
the libels which I had read against you, still, I
believed that you would not hesitate to commit a
404 A VmCB PROM 9T. HELENA*
crime, when you fonnd it to be necessary, or
thought it might be useful to you."* *' This is just
the answer that I expected," replied Napoleon,
** and IS perhaps the opinion of Lord Holland,
and even of numbers of the French. I have risen
to too great a pitch of human glory and elevation,
not to have excited the envy and jealousy of man-
kind. They will say, * it is true that he has raised
himself to the highest pinnacle of glory, mats pour
y arriver, il commit heaucoup de crimes^ (but to at-
tain it, he has committed many crimes)/ Now the
feet is, that I not only never committed any
crimes, but I never even thought of doing so. JTai
totijoura march^ avec Vopinion de grandes mas^s et
les ^venemens, (I have always gone with the opi-
nion of great masses, and with events). I have
always made pen de cos of the opinion of indivi-
duals, of that of the public a great deal ; of what
use, then, would crime have been to me ? I am too
much a fatalist, and have always despised man-
kind too much to have had recourse to crime to
frustrate their attempts. nTai marchi toujours avec
Vopinion de cinq ou six millions d'hommes, (I have
always marched with the opinion of five or six
millions of men) ; of what use, then, would crime
have been to me ?"
*" In spite of all the libels,** continued he, * I
have no fear whatever about my fame. Posterity
will do me justice. The truth will be known.
A VOICR FROM ST- HELENA. 403
and the good that I have done, with the faults
that I have committed, wil! be compared. I
am not uneasy for the result. Had I succeeded,
I should have died with the reputation of the
greatest man that ever existed. As it is, although
I have failed, I shall be coni^dered as an extraor-
dinary man: my elevation was unparalleled, ie-
eause unaccompanied by crime. I have fought
fifty pitched battles, almost all of which I have
gained. I have framed and carried into effect a
code of laws that will bear my name to the most
distant posterity. From nothing I raised myself
to be ^he most powerful monarch in the world.
Europe was at my feet. My ambition was great,
I admit, but it was of a cold nature, ((Tune nature
froidey) and caused 'par les iv^neitieus^ (by events)^
and the opinion of great bodies. I have always
been of opinion, that the sovei'eignty lay in the
people. In fact, the imperial government was a
kind of republic. Called to the head of it by the
voice of the nation, my maxim was, la carrwre
ouverte aux talensiy {the career open to talents,)
without distinction of birth or fortune, and this
system of equality is the reason that your oligarchy
bate me so m<f ch/
"If eveirpoUcy/' continued be, "authorized a
man to commit a crime and murder others, it au-
thorized me to put to death Ferdinand, and the
other Rourhojos oi bis family when in France.
406 A VOICE FRO>T ST. HELENA.
Were I a man accustomed to commit ci-imes>
would I not have effected one which it would have
been so beneficial to me to put in execution r Fer-
dinand and his family once out of th€ way, the
Spaniards would have had nothing to fight for^
and would have submitted. No, had I been in-
clined to commit crimes, I should not be here»
Would a French Bourbon be in existence now^
had I consented to their murder ? Not onty did
I refuse to consent, but I positively prohibited
that any attempt of the kind should be made "
'^ It is not," added Napoleon, " by what the
Quarterly Review, or Pichon says, or by what I
could write myself, that posterity will judge of
me ; it is by the voice of so many millions of inha-
bitants who have been under my gavernment.**
'* Those," continued he, " who consented to the
union of Poland with Russia, will be the execra-
tion of posterity, while my name will be pro-
nounced with respect, when the fine southern
countries of Europe are a prey ta the barbarians
of the north. Perhaps my greatest fault was, not
having deprived the King of Prussia of his throne,
which I might easily have done. After Fried^
land, I ought to have taken Silesia and * * * from
Prussia, and given them to Saxony, as the king
and the Prussians were too much humiliated not
to revenge themselves the first opportunity. Had
I done this^ given them a free constitution^ and
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 407
delivered the peasants from feodal slavery, they
would have been contented.**
Napoleon afterwards walked down to Count
Bertrand's. For two or three days he has taken
much more exercise than formerly.
4th. — Saw Napoleon in the billiard-room. He
was in extremely good spirits. Returned me the
Ambigu for 1816, and desired me to endeavour to
obtain the numbers for 1815.
In answer to a question of mine about p * * *^
he said " P ♦ ♦ * is a polisson who would write for
anybody that would pay him. He made offers
to me to change his style, and write for me in
such a manner that the British government would
not be aware that he was employed by me. One
time in particular, he sent to the police a MS. copy
of a book written against me, with an offer that it
should not be printed provided he were paid a
certain sum of money. This was made known
to me. I ordered the police to answer, that if he
paid the expences of printing, the work should
be published in Paris for him. He was not the
only one who made offers of the kind to me when
I was in power. Some of the editors of the English
newspapers made similar advances, and declared
that they could render me most essential ser-
vices, but I then did not attach sufficient impor-
tance to their offers, and refused them. Not so the
408 A VOICB FROM 8T^ HELENA.
Bourbons. In 1814, the editor of The ♦♦*♦♦
newspaper was paid about three thousand pounds
of your money, besides having a great number of
copies taken.* I told you before that I found his
receipt amongst Blacas*s papers on my return from
Elba. I do not know if he is in their pay now. In
that year also a great number of pamphlets were
printed in London against the Bourbons, and
copies of each sent over to them, with a threat of
publication if they were not paid. The Bourbons
were greatly frightened, and greedily bought them
up. There was one pamphlet in particular, a ter-
rible libel against the late queen of France, which
it cost them a large sum of money to suppr^s.
"When I was on the throne," continued he,
" there were thirty clerks employed in translating
the English newspapers, and in making extracts
from English works of merit. Matters which ap-
peared of importance were extracted from the
newspapers, and daily submitted to me. But I never
had it done in my pi-esence, or endeavoured to
accompany the translator in his progress, as has
been asserted. I did not even know the English
article ' the * at that time. Indeed, to me it was
not of suflScient importance to learn the language
purposely to read the papers, especially as I had
• " Now, though no one Journal is mentioned more than another
in this passage, it is impossible not to suppose THE TIMES to be the
Journal meant." — Times ycwspapevj July IStfi, 1822.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 409
letters and intelligence constantly from the spies
in Engird. The papers, however, served to cor-
roborate their information relative to ' the move-
ments of troops, assembling and sailing of men of
war, and other measures of government,"
The governor at Longwood. Explained his in-
tentions of putting the iron railing round the house,
the, doors of which he said he should cause to be
locked at seven or eight o'clock at night, and the
keys sent to Plantation House, where they should
remain until day-break the next morning.
5th. — The Tortoise store-ship. Captain Cook,
arrived direct from England, which she had left
on the 18th of December, 1816. Went to town,
and learned that Warden had published a book
about Napoleon which had excited considerable
interest, and was supposed to have produced a fa-
vourable impression towards him. Received some
newspapers containing extracts from the work,
Qn my return to Longwood I found Napoleon
in quite different spirits from yesterday. He was
reclining on his sofa, in a very pensive attitude
I^is head resting upon one of his hands, aiul appa?
rently melancholy. His morning gown was on^ a
9^dras round his head, and his beard unshaved.
In rather a desponding manner, he asked me
" What news r" and if the ship had arrived from
England ? I replied that she had arrived di*
rect from that country. After having related
VOL. I. 3 o
410 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
something of what I heard and conceived to be
most interesting, I mentioned that a book had been
published respecting him by Warden, which had
excited great interest. At the name of Warden
he raised his head and said, ^^ What, Warden of
the Northumberland T I replied in the affirma-
tive. " What is the nature of the work ? Is it for
or against me ? Is it well written ? What is the
subject ?** I replied, that it was a description of
what had passed on board of the Northumberland
and here ; that it was in his favour, and contained
many curious statements, and also refutations of
some accusations that had been made against him,
an explanation about the affair of the Duke d*£ng-
hien, and that it was well written, &c. ^ Have
you seen it?** I replied, " No." " Then how do you
know that it is in my favour, or that it is well
written ?" I replied that I had seen some extracts
from it in the newspapers, which I gave to him.
He sat down to read the papers, asked the expla-
nation of a few passages, said they were true ; in-
quired what Warden had said of the affair of the
Duke d*£nghien ? I replied that he asserted that
Talleyrand had detained a letter from the Duke
for a considerable time after his execution, and
that he had attributed his death to Talleyrand.
^ Di questo non cV dubbio"^ (of this there is no
doubt), replied Napoleon.
Napoleon then asked how the work had been
A VOICE FROM ST. HELBNA. 411
received in England ? I replied. " I had heard
that it had succeeded very well." He asked
** whether the ministers were pleased with it." I
answered, *^ that they had not as yet shewn any
displeasure, as Warden had been recently ap-
pointed to a ship." " I suppose," said Napoleon,
" that he has arranged it so as to please the minis-
ters 5" I replied that from what I had been able
to learn, he had endeavoured to state the truth.
I then assisted him in reading over some ex-
tracts which were in the Observer, the correctness
of which he admitted. He perused very atten-
tively and made me explain to him three times an
article which stated that the Empress Marie
Louise had fallen from her horse into the Po, and
with difficulty had been saved from a watery
grave. He appeared considerably affected by the
perusal.
Subsequently he conversed about the tumults
in England, and the distress of the poorer clas-
ses. " Your ministers," said he, *^ are answerable
for all the misery and the- distress of England,
by their having neglected to take advantage
of favourable circumstances to secure to the
country great commercial advantages. In con-
sequence of my misfortunes in Russia, successes
unparalleled in the history of the world attended
her, and by the force of circumstances an op-
portunity was afforded her of rendering herself
412 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA.
the most flourishing and powerful nation in the
worid. I have always considered England to be
in a dangerous state^ in an unnatural state of over-
exertion^ and that if some unforeseen circumstance
did not arise to succour her, she must sinlc under
the pressure of the exertions she has made, and
the load of taxation. Such an opportunity has oo
curred^ but your ministers^ like blockheads, have
not taken advantage of it, but preferred paying
their couit to those kings to consulting the inte-
rests of their country. Every sovereign or mi-
nister ought to hold the interests and welfare of
his own country paramount to all other considera-
tions, and ought never to fail to take advantage of
existing circumstances to benefit it, particularly
when it can be done by means of a treaty. Those
who neglect it, are traitors to their country. You
have already the hatred of all nations, in conse«
quence of your maritime laws, and your preten-
sions to be mistress of the seas, which you say
belongs to you by right. Then why not take ad-
vantage of it ? You have made a most unprofit-
able bargain ; you have the hatred of all other
nations, on account of your maritime pretensions,
without enjoying any benefit from them. Your
ministers do not know the situation of their own
country."
« It appears to me,** continued he, " to be cleariy
the intention of your ministers to subject Eng-
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 413
land to a military yoke, to put down by degrees
the Hberty which prevails there, and to render
their own power unlimited. All those honours
conferred upon the military, and the tenor of seve-
t^ other steps lately adopted, are only so many
prelhninaries towahis it. I can discern their
bbjedt.' Assistance, if necessary, will probably
be rendered by the other sovereigns of Europe,
Trho are jealous, and caiiiiot bear the idea that
England should be the only free nation in Eu-
rope. They will all assist in putting you down.'*
r dbserved that the English would never submit
to be made a nation of slaves. He replied, " there
is M^very appearance that the Jittempt will be
made.**
Some broken numbers of the Times and a few
letters sent up by the governor. General Gour*
gaud received a letter from his sister, which in-
formed him that Sir George Cockbum had called
twice to see his mother in Paris. This mark of
attention on the part of the admiral quite en-
chanted General Gourgaud. Count and Countess
Bertrand in raptures, as the same letter stated
that Madame Dillon, the Countess's mother, was
doing well. Though for many yeare a wanderer,
I never observed so forcibly before the satisfaction
and consolati'on afforded by a letter from distant
relations or friends, to those who are separated
from their home. By the joy in the countenances
414 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
of some at Longwood^ it was easy to distinguish
those who had received intelligence, as the melan-
choly and dissatisfaction pourtrayed in the others
denoted the contrary. There was no necessity for
asking any questions. A line of writing from Eu-
rope is, at Longwood, a treasure above all price.
6tk. — Some French newspapers sent up to Nar-
poleon by the admiral^ through the governor.
Napoleon very anxious to hear some further intel-
ligence of Marie Louise. The circumstance he
observed yesterday appeared to have excited some
apprehensions for her safety in his mind^ which
was not much relieved when he perceived that
only broken numbers of the newspapers had been
sent up by the governor. On coming afterwards
to an article in the French papers, which stated
that the project for supplying Paris with water by
an English company had been abandoned, he
called out to me : ^^ Have I not told you so, and
that the people would not suffer it?"* Informed
him that the governor had sent up Mr. Warden's
book to me, with instructions to deliver it to him.
He looked at the fac-simile of his own hand-writ-
ing and laughed heartily.
At night Napoleon sent for me. Said that he
was convinced the governor had kept back some
letters and newspapers. That he had no doubt
that Sir Hudson Lowe had himself received a com-
plete series of papers, but that he had kept back
▲ VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 415
some according to his usual brutal custom, because
there might have been an article which would
prove agreeable to him. " At first,*" said he, " I
thought that there might have been some bad
news of my wife, but a moment's reflection taught
me, that if so, this man would not have failed to
send it directly, in order to afflict me. Perhaps
there may be some news of my son ; when you go
to town to-morrow, endeavour to see a complete
series of papers, and look attentively at them.
You can find out ten articles in your papers,
while I am searching for one. Try and get some
more of the Portsmouth papers, as the news is
more condensed in them, and I do not lose myself
as in looking over a number of the Times.**
7th. — Cipriani in town making purchases of
provisions.
8/A. — Mrs. and Misses Balcombe at Longwood.
Napoleon sent for and conversed with them for a
few minutes Sir Hudson Lowe, when informed
of this, said, *^ that they had no business to have
spoken to General Bonaparte, as their pass had
only specified Count Bertrand's family."
10/A. — Napoleon in good spirits. Had some
conversation relative to Warden's book. I asked
him about that part which treats of the governor s
physiognomy ; and Warden's reply, that he liked
Lady Lowe's better. He laughed, and replied,
<<as well as I recollect, it is true. But I said
416 A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
much worse than what Warden has stated there,
which I believe is to be found in Las Casies*
journal, where the governor must have seen my
remarks.*
I then asked his opinion of Warden^s book.
He replied^ ^^ the foundation of it is true, but he
has badly understood what was ssdd to him ; as in
the work there are many mistakes, which must
have arisen from bad explanation ; Warden does
not understand French. He has acted wrong in
making me speak in the manner he has done.
For, instead of having stated that it had been con •
veyed through an interpreter, he puts down al-
most every thing, as if I had been speaking to
him all the time, and as if he could have under-
stood me ; consequently he has put into my mouth
expressions unworthy of me, and not in my style.
Any person who knows me, will readily see (Jiiat
it is not my style. In fact, most of what he has
received through interpretation, and that composes
a large portion of the work, is more or less incor-
rect. He has said that Massena had stormed the
village of Esling thirteen times^ which, if the work
is translated into French, will make every French
officer acquainted with the battle laugh, as Mas-
sena was not at that particular spot during the
whole of the action. What he says about the pri-
soners that had been made at Jaffa, is also incor-
rect| as they were marched on twelve leagues in
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 417
the direction of Bagdat, and not to Nazareth.
They were Maugrabins from near Algiers, and
not natives of the country that he mentions: he
is incorrect in stating that I proposed to give the
sick opium ; I did not propose it. It was first
made by one of the medical officers. He is wrong
in the explanation which he has given of the rea-
son why I wished Wright to live. My principal
reason was, to be able to prove, as I told you be-
fore, by Wright's evidence, that * * * had caused
assassins, hired by the Count d'* ♦ ♦ ♦ to be landed
in France, to murder me. This I thought I
should have effected by Wright's own evidence
at a trial in presence of the ambassadors of the
powers in friendship with me. Now there was
something glorious in Wright's death. He pre-
ferred taking away his own life, to compromising
his government.^
"The Duke d'Enghien was to have come to Paris
to assist the assassins. The Duke de Berri also
was to have landed at a certain place in Picardy,
to have excited insurrection and assassination.
I received information of this, and Savary was
despatched to the spot to arrest him. If he had
been taken, he would have been instantly shot.
He was on board of an Engh'sh vessel which
came in close to the coast, but a certain signal
which had been previously agreed upon, not hav-
ing been made from Seville, he became afraid
VOL. I. S H
418 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
and stood off. The place where they were to
have landed was called the falaise de Beville,
near Dieppe, at the foot of a steep precipice, up
which people are obliged to climb by the help of
ropes. It was chosen by them on this account,
as they were not likely to be interrupted by the
custom-house officers. The Count d* * ♦ ♦ and
the Duke de B** were always endeavouring to
procure my assassination. Louis, I believe, was
not privy to it. They thought, I suppose, that
they were at liberty to make as many attempts to
assassinate me as they chose, with impunity. As
head of the French government, by the laws of
politics, and by the laws of nature, I should have
been justified in causing assassination in return :
which it would have been most easy for me to
have effected."
" Shortly after Marengo,** continued Napoleon,
" Louis wrote a letter to me, which was delivered
by the Abb6 Montesquieu, in which he said, that
I delayed for a long time to restore him to his
throne ; that the happiness of France could never
be complete without him ; neither could the glory
of the country be complete without me ; that one
was as necessary to it as the other; and con-
cluded by desiring me to chuse whatever I thought
proper, which would be granted under him, pro-
vided I restored to him his throne. I sent him
back a very handsome answer, in which I stated
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 419
tfeat I was extremely sorry for the misfortunes of
himself^ and his family; that I was ready to do
every thing in my power to relieve them^ and
would interest myself about providing a suitable
income for them, but that he might abandon the
thought of ever returning to France as a sovereign,
as that could not be effected without his having
passed over the bodies of five hundred thousand
Frenchmen,
" Warden has been incorrectly informed that
Maret was privy to my return to France, He
knew nothing about it, and such a statement may
injure his relations in France. He has acted also
unguardedly in asserting matters upon the autho-
rity of Count and Countess Bertrand, as it may
cause them many enemies. He ought to have
said, * I have been told at Longwood,' As to his
saying that the information came from me. I care
not, as I fear nobody^ but he ought to have been
cautious about the others.
" Warden," added he, " is a man of good in-
tentions, and the foundation of his work is true ;
but many of the circumstances are incorrectly
stated, in consequence of misconception, and bad
interpretation. Gourgaud was very angry yes-
terday about what was said of him. I told him
that he ought to take example by me, and ob-
serve with what patience I bore the libels on me^
with which the press was overwhelmed ; that
420 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
tbey bad made me a poisoner, an assassin, a via*
lator ; a monster who was guilty of incest, and of
every horrid crime, &c. That be ought to reflect
upon this, and be silent.**
** I see,** continued be, ** by some answers in
the Times, that the Morning Chronicle appears to
defend me. 'What harm could it possibly be to
let me see that paper. To let me read something
favourable of myself. It is very seldom that I
now see any thing of the kind, but it is a cruelty
to withhold so slender a consolation.
"You recollect I told you that the English
would change their opinion of me, and that from
the great intercourse they bad with France and
Italy, they would soon discover that I was not
the horrid character they had believed me to be ;
and also that the English travellers in returning
from the countries which had been under my do-
minion, would bring back with them sentiments
quite different from those with which they had
set out. This is now beginning to take place, and
will increase every day. Those people will say,
* We have been deceived. On the continent we
have heard none of those horrid stories. On the
contrary, wherever there was a fine road, or a
noble bridge, and we asked, who made this?
the answer has been, Napoleon, or Bonaparte/
They will naturally say, at least this nian encour-
aged the arts and the sciences during bis reign.
Jl.TOICX prom ST. HELENA. 421
aud endeavoui*ed to facilitate and to increase the
commerce of the countries under him.
" XiOi'd Castlereagli,'* continued he, " has been
guilty of a base tibel by having declared that I
hud said, since I came here, that ^ in peace, or in
war^ I aimed at the destruction of England/ It
is wboUf false, and I shall make it a subject of
complaint to his master, the Prince Regent, and
expose to him the unworthy conduct of his minis-
ter; £H>nduct degrading to the chai*actex' of a man.
It is always dishonourable and base to publicly
insult and belie the unfortunate; especially when
in your power, and at such a distance as to pre-
clude the possibility of a rcply.^
He then made some observatLons respecting
T^leyrand . "As to TiiUeyrand,'' said he, '^ Cent
un coquin, un honwie coironijm^ Dials Iiomme d'es-
priL A man who seeks every opportunity to
betray. After the marriage of Priuee Eugene, I
was obliged to turn him out of office, on account
of complaints made against him by the kings of
Bavaria and Wirtemberg, Nothing was to be got,
no treaty to be made, or arrangement for com-
merce, withcMit first having bribed him. There
were some commercial treaties on foot at the time,
to conclude which he demanded enormous sums.
The Bourbons have done right to get rid of him,
as he would have betrayed them the first oppoxw
tunity, if he jsaw that Ihere was any probabllitj of
422 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
success, as l>e had offered to do after my retnra
from Elba.
" Yo»r ministers/* said be, *' reason thus for
sending roe to St. Helena. This Bonaparte is a
maa of taknt, and has always been an enemy to
England. The Bourbons are a set of imbecilles,
and it is better for the English to have imbeciUes
on the throne of France, than pei-sons of talent ;
for the former will not have the ability, though
they may have the inclination to do as much mis-
chief to England as the latter. We must do every
thing we can to keep down the Fi*ench^ who are
our natural enemies ; and the best mode of effect
ing it, is to place a set of fools upon the throng
who will occupy themselves in restoring the old
superstition^ ignorance, and prejudices of the na-
tion, and consequei>tly weaken, instead of strength-
ening it. They would have done better," conti^
uued he,, ^^to have left me upon the throne. I
would have given the English great commercial
advantages, which the Bourbons dare not offer.
Besides, it would have kept up the importance of
the English on the ccmtinent. For the other
powers bei»g afraid of me, would have madie
sacnfices to keep on good terms with them, m
order to have them on their side, well know-
ing that without their aid, they could do nothin^^
against me ; whereas now, as they are not afraicJ
of the Bourbons^ they will set hut little vahie upoD
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 423
the friendship of a power that they are jealous of,
and want to humble. Moreover, your ministers
could always have held me up in terrorem to the
people of England, whenever they wanted to com-
mand the exertions of the nation.
*^ I see," added Napoleon, " no feasible mea-
sure to remedy the distresses of your manu-
facturers, except endeavouring by all means in
your power to promote the separation of the
Spanish South American colonies from the mo-
ther-country. By means of this, you would have
an opportunity of opening a most extensive and
lucrative commerce with the South Americans,
which would be productive of great advantages to
you. If you do not adopt some steps of the kind,
the Americans will be before-hand with you. If
you act as I have said, they could trade with no
other nation than you. Both Spain and France
must be shut to them.*"
" If the war with England had lasted two or
three years longer," added he, " France would not
have had any further occasion for colonies. In
consequence of the great encouragement I gave,
and the premiums I paid to those who devoted
their chemical labours to the making of sugar,
especially from the beet-root, it was sold so low
as fifteen sous a pound, and when the process
should have been a little more matured, sugar
would have been made in France as cheap as it
424 A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA^
could have been imported from the West Indies***
I remarked that the French could with difficulty^
have done without coffee. "They could very
well have contented themselves with several kinds
of herbs, as tea," replied the emperor. " Moreover,
it would have been possible to have grown coffee
in some of the southern parts of France, and an
inferior kind of coffee of grain might have been
substituted.**
A few moments afterwards Napoleon observed,
that it was true, as had been stated in the papers,
that the Belgians were sorry that the English had
gained the battle of Waterloo. ** They considered
themselves as Frenchmen,** said he, ^ and in truth
they were such. The greatest part of the nation
loved me, and wished that I might succeed. The
stories that your ministers have taken such pains
to circulate respecting the nations that I had
united to France having hated me and detested
my tyranny, are all falsehoods. The Italians,
Piedmontese, Belgians, and others, are an exam*
pie of what I say. You will receive hereafter the
opinions of those English who have visited the
continent. You will find that what I tell you is
correct, and that millions in Europe now weep for
me. The Piedmontese preferred being as a pro-
vince of France, to being an independent kingdom
under the King of Sardinia."
Count Bertrand*s cook went to camp and got
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 42S
SO drunk as to be totally incapable of cooking
the dinner for the family. Napoleon^ when in-
formed of this at dinner^ sent some dishes off the
table down to Countess Bertrand^ with his com-
pliments.
11 /A.— The Griffon sloop of war arrived from
the Cape with a mail, in which were some letters
fpr the French. Count Bertrand received the plea&»
ing intelligence that his brother was no longer in
exile, but had been permitted to return to his home,
and to remain there under surveillance.
Informed by one of the partners, that last week
an official letter had been sent to the house of Bal-i*
combe and Co., to demand an explanation why
fourteen shillings more than the sum that had
been allowed by government, had been expended
for fish for the establishment of Longwood, in the
preceding fortnight. Also a demand to know
why two shillings and sixpence more than the
allowance had been expended for twine. More-
over, that forty pounds of barley had been sent up
to Longwood by order of the surgeon, for the use
of Countess Bertrand, a repetition of which in
future was prohibited, unless the order was first
approved of at Plantation House.
Last Sunday Mr. Balcombe and myself had a
conversation with Sir Hudson Lowe, in the library
at Plantation House, relative to the affairs of
Longwood. Mr. Balcombe presented two sets of
VOL. I. 3 I
426 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
bills drawn by Count Bertrand for his approval.
His excellency professed himself to be greatly
surprised at the large sums of money laid ont
by the French^ and said that twelve thousand
a year ought to cover all expenses. He was
informed by Mr. Balcombe and myself^ that it
was chiefly expended in the purchase of provi*
sions^ and various necessaries of life, as the allow-
ance granted by government was not sufficient.
Amongst many other articles, I mentioned that
only seventy-two pounds of beef was allowed. Sir
Hudson said, that he would increase the quantity
to one hondi'ed, and would confer with Count
Bertrand on the subject. He was apparently in a
very bad humour, and railed at what he termed
the impudence of Las Cases, in having presumed
to send from the Cape to Longwood, some wine^
Florence oil, and other articles of a similar nature,
for the use of the French, which he said was an
insult to the British government, and concluded
by refusing to approve of more than one set of
bills.*
I2th. — Saw the emperor at eleven, a. m. in a
very good humour. He made some remarks again
about the disturbances in England. Observed,
that he thought the Prince Regent must adopt
* Sir Hudson Lowe would not allow any bill of exchange dntwn by
imy of the inhabitants of Longwood to be cashed, unless it had been
premusiy approved of^ and indorsed by himself.
A TOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 427
some measures in order to pacify the people, such
as reducing the taxes. ^ It is impossible,** said
he, '^ that a nation in cold blood will consent to
pay in time of peace^ taxes nearly equal to the
amount of those paid by them in war, when there
is no longer that stimulus, that irritation of mind
which made them consider such drainings of their
purses absolutely necessary to prevent their coun-
try from being devoured by a foreign nation.
England,** continued he, ^'is in an unnatural state,,
and some change must take place.**
I said, that although great distress existed in
England, the disturbances were confined to the
lower classes, and that it would end by a few of
them being hanged. Napoleon replied, ^^it may
be so, Mr. Doctor, but you must consider that
the canaille, as you call them, are the bulk of the
people. They, and not the nobles, form the na-
tion. When the canaille gains the day, it ceases
to be any longer canaille. It is then called the
nation. If it does not, why then some are exe*
cuted, and they are called canaille, rebels, rob*
bers, &c. Thus goes the world.**
I then asked Napoleon if it were true, as had
been stated, that he was once in danger of being
taken by the Cossacs ? " At the battle of Brienne,**
replied he, " I recollect, that about twenty or
twenty-five Uhlans, not Cossacs, got round one
of the wings of my army, and endeavoured to fall
428 A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA.
upon a part of the artillery. It was at the close
of the day, and just beginning to be dark.
They stumbled some how or other upon me and
my ^tat-msyor. When they saw us, they were
quite lost, and did not know how to act. They
did not however know who I was, neither was
I myself for some time aware of who they were.
I thought they were some of my own troops*
Caulaincourt, however, perceived who they wwe,
and called out to me that we were amongst «Eie»
mies. Just at this moment, those Uhlans being
frightened, and not knowing what to do, b^;ait to
fly, and tried to escape in all directions. My stc^BT
began to fire upon them. One of them galloped
up so close to me (without knowing me) as ta
touch my knee violently with his hand. He had
a spear in his hand at the charge, but it was with
the opposite one that he touched me. At first I
thought that it was one of my own staff who was
riding roughly by me, but looking round, I per-
ceived that he was an enemy. I put my hand
down to draw out one of my pistols to fire at
him, but he was gone. Whether he was killed
or escaped I know not. That day I drew my
sword, which was a circumstance that rarely had
occurred, as I gained battles with my eye and
not with my arms. Those Uhlans were after-
wards, I believe, cut to pieces." I asked if he
had considered himself to have been in any great
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLRNA. 429
peril <m that day r " No,** said he, '^ it was an ac-
cident. My cavalry wus in another part of the
field at the time. It was possible certainly, that I
might have been killed, but they were more intent
upon rtinning away themselves, than upon killing
anfy of ys."*
I aisked, if during the retreat from Moscow, he
had ever been in danger of being taken by the
Cossaes ? ^ Never," replied Napoleon, " I had
always with me a guard suflScient to repel any at-
* It .has been said^ that on the same night, when the French had
ftitMr turn stormed the village of Brienne, Blacher and his staff
hXLin vilh a ynij of their eavaky, and were prevented from hav*
ingi heea taken by two Cossacs who had seen them, and who stopped
Bluc)ier at the fpot of a flight of stairs when on the point of goin^
out, who otherwise would have been killed or made prisioner. That
thef had drawn their swords, and were prepared to fall upon the
focnch, but after having made a ritannaiittautt, thej were found to
ba^ SQ numerousi aa not to ^ulnlkit of a probability of success. This;,
if true, forms a singular coincidence with what I have related above^
but as I had it from Sir Hudson Lowe, I cannot of course be respon-
sible for the correctness of the statement. Sir Hudson Lowe also
informed me of what, according to his ideas, was a praiseworthy spe*
cimenof the utter contempt in which Blucherheld the French na-
tion, in the following terms : ''At the time when Blueher made hia
first hostile entrance into France, the mayor of the town he occu-
pied waited upon him to offer his services to procure whatever ha
might want, as is customary under similar circumstances. When
the Pruseian general had heard his business, his reply was * Bring
me a wench I"*
430 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
tack, or even to admit of any apprehension as to
the result in case one was made***
13th. — ^Napoleon in his bath. In very good
spirits. After some conversation on the subject
of what had been lately published respecting him,
" I suppose,** said he, ** that when you go to Eng-
land, you will publish j/our book. You certainly
have a better right to publish about me than
Warden, and you can say, that you have heard me
say many things, and have had long conversations
with me. You would gain a great deal of money^
and every body would believe you. Truly, no
French physician has ever been so much about
me as you have been. I saw them only for a few
minutes. The world is anxious to know every lit-
tle circumstance of a man that has happened to
make any figure in it, such as all the little trifles
about how he eats, drinks, sleeps, bis general ha*
bits, and manners. People are more anxious to
learn those sottises than to know what good or bad
qualities he may possess. Pour moi, il mffU de
dire la veritdr
Napoleon walked out about five, and paid a
visit to Countess Montholon. He remained a few
minutes looking at Captain Poppleton, who was
busily employed in digging some potatoes out of
a little garden that we had endeavoured to culti-
vate in front of the house.
A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA. 431
1 4th. — ^Napoleon in very good humour. Told
him that a letter had appeared in the French
papers^ which was attributed to Marquis Mont-
chenu^ stating that upon his arrival, he (Napo-
leon) had given him an invitation to dine, to which
he had replied, that he had been sent to St. He-
lena to guard, and not to dine with him. '^ Ces
messieurs sont toujours les mimesP replied the em-
peror, **it is very likely that he has been hite
enough to write it. Those old French noblesse
are capable of any bSlise. He is worthy of being
one of the grande naissance* of France.**
Mentioned to him that in one of the papers it
had been stated, that Sir George Cockbum had
gone to Paris, impressed with a poor opinion of
his (Napoleon's) abilities, and had said, that on
the score of talent, he was an ordinary charac-
ter, and by no means to be feared. Napoleon
replied, ^^ probably and with reason he does not
suppose me to be a God, or to be endowed with
supernatural talents ; but I will venture to say
that he gives me credit for posssesing some. If
he has really expressed the opinion attributed to
him, it pays a poor compliment to the discernment
of the greatest part of the world."
* The contemptuous manner in which the marquis generally
expressed himself of any person who was not able to count some
bnndred years of nobility in his family, was notorious in 8t He-
lena*
432 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
' He then desired me to get him the paper which
contained the report of Sir George Cockburn's
opinion, adding that he wbs now so much accns-
toiiied to read libels, that he cared but little what
M-as said, or what calumnies were published about
hitii.
" The people of England with difficulty will
bt'llfve," iidded he, "that I not only read those
lil)t'ls witliont anger, but even laugh at them.
From ti.c violence of temper which has been at-
tributed to nie, I suppose they think that I must
be worked up by rage to fits of madness. TTiey
are iiiistahen ; fliey only excite my laughter. La
firite seule hli's.s<'"
I iislicd liiin about the affair of Palm, and said,
I had been informed that he had given a satisfac-
tory explanation of every sanguinary act, except-
ing tliat, that lie had been accused of having com-
mitted. Napoleon replied, "I never have been
.A VOICE FROM ST. HBLENA. .433
with a fair trial. I should like,"* continued he,
^^ to read the principal libels which have been
published against me in England, if I could have
them in French. There is Pelletier,"* added he^
laughing, ^^ who 'proves that I was myself the con-
triver of the infernal machine.**
, Mm'or Hodson paid a visit to Countess Bertrand.
Informed her that both himself and his wife would
be most happy to call frequently upon her ; but
that insinuations had been made to him that it
would not be liked at Plantation House.
M \5th.-T-Six Hudson .Lowe gave directions to
•Captain Foppleton^ that General Bonaparte, or
any of his i suite might go unaccompanied along
4he . road to Woody Range, and to Miss Mason*s;
but that they were not permitted to quit the path,
And. that they might, re-enter Longwood at the
■bottom of the wood« That the two sentinels at
the end of the wood were still to remain. He
.then > asked what were the orders of those sen*
tinds ? Captain Poppleton replied, ^^ to let no
person in or out of Longwood.** Sir Hudson de-
aired that those orders should still he continued in
forces adding, that he did not think that the path
by which the French were to be permitted to
enter was near enough to the sentinels to allow
them to interfere with them. He desired also that
]the sentinels should be posted a little before
sun-set.
VOL. I. 3 k
434 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
Cipriani in town^ making the usual purchases
of provisions.
16/A. — Saw the emperor in the drawing-room.
He was in extremely good spirits, laughed repeat-
edly, joked with me on a supposed attachment to
a fair damsel, and endeavoured to speak some
English. Said that he had seen Lady Bingham
the day before, but that she could not speak
French ; that she *' looked good tempered."
'^ Bertrand,** said Napoleon, ^* has told me that
the governor has at last sent up his answers.
They are full of imbecility. I have not read them
myself, but from what Bertrand tells me^ they are
a very poor production, and would make one pity
the writer who covers over so many pages with-
out arriving at any conclusion. He asserts that
he never has signed a pass for one day only, when
the fact is, that numbers of persons have shewn
the passes signed by him to Bertrand, and pointed
out to him that the day was specifically marked^
and consequently begged of him to interest him-
self to induce me to see them on that day, as they
could not enter Longwood upon any other. Si
fa pietd di luir*
Napoleon then spoke at length about Talley-
rand. '' The triumph of Talleyrand," said he, •'is
the triumph of immorality. A priest united to an-
other man's wife, and who has paid her husband
• MeaQing, that it makes one pit7 him.
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 435
a large sum of money to leave her with him. A
man who has sold every thing, betrayed every
body and every side. I forbade Madame Talley-
rand the court, first, because she was a disrepu-
table character, and because I found out that
some Genoese merchants had paid her four hun^
dred thousand francs, in hopes of gaining some
commercial favours by means of her husband. She
was a very fine woman, English or East Indian,
but sotte and grossly ignorant. I sometimes asked
Denon, whose works I suppose you have read,
to breakfetst with me, as I took pleasure in his
conversation, and conversed very freely with him.
Now all the intriguers and speculators paid their
court to Denon, with a view of inducing him to
mention their projects or themselves in the course
of his conversations with me, thinking that even
being mentioned by ^ch a man as Denon, for
whom I had a great esteem, might materially serve
them. Talleyrand, who was a great speculator^,
invited Denon to dinner. When he went home to
his wife he said, ' my dear, I have invited Denon
to dine. He is a great traveller, and you must
say something handsome to him about his travels,
as he may be useful to us with the emperor.* His
wife being extremely ignorant, and probably never
having read any other book of travels than that of
Robinson Crusoe, concluded that Denon could
be nobody else than Robinson. Wishing to be
A YOICE *RbM ST, HELElfAi
▼ery civil to him, -she, before a large companyi
asked him divers questions about bis man Friday!
Denon, astonished^ did not knoir what to think
at first, but at length discovered by her questions
that she really imagined him to be Robinson
Crusoe. His astonishment and that of the com*
pany cannot be described, nor the peals of laughter
which it excited in Paris, as the story flew like
wildfire through tlie city> and even Talleyrand him-
self was ashamed of it.
"The doctor has smd,** continued he, "that I
turned Mahometan in E^pt. Now it is not the
case. I never followed any of the tenets of that
religion. I never prayed in the mosques. I never
abstiuned from wine, or was circumcised, neither
did I ever prc^ess it^ I said merely that we were
the friendsl of the Mos^lmen, and that I respected
Mahomet their ^propfaet^ which was true ; I respect
bim now. I wanted, to make the Imans cause
prayers to be offered up in the< mosques for rae, in
order to make the people respect me still more
than they actually did, and obey me more readily.
The Imans replied, that there was a great ob*
stacle, because their pn^het in the Koran had
inculcated to them that they were not. to obey,
respect, or hold fiEuth with infidels> smd that I
came under that denomination. I then* desired
them to hold a consultation^ and -see what was
necessary to be done in^^erder-lo be^ome'^a Ma»*
^ VOIC& FKOM «T. HBLEN.V* 437
snlman^ as some of their teaets could not be prac-
tised by us. That as to eircumcision, God bad
made vs unfit for that. That with respect to
drinking wine, we were poor cold people, inhabi-
tants of the north, who could not exist without iL
Therefiore that we could neither circumcise nor
abstain from wine« Thejr consulted together ac-
* cordingly, and in about three weeks issued a Fe-
tbam, declaring that circuiBGision might be omitted,
because it was merely a profession ; that as to
drinking wine, it might be drunk by Mussulmen,
but that those who drajak it would not go to pa-
radise, but to hell* I replied that this would not
do; that we had no occasion to make ourselves
M ussulmen in order to go to hell, that there were
many ways of getting there ; without coming to
Egypt, and desired them to hold another consul-
tation. Well, after deliberating and battling toge-
ther for I believe three months^ they finally decided
that a man might become a Mus»ilman, and nei-
ther circumcise, nor abstain hoiu wine ; but that
an proportion to the wine drunk, some good works
must be done. I then told them that we were all
MussiUmen and friends of the prophet, which
they readily believed, as the French soldiers never
went to church, and had no furiests with them.
For you nmst know . that during the revoluticm
there was no religion whatever in the French army,
Menou/ continned JNapoleoq, <f'jreaUj turned Ma^
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 439
whelmed you. If I had been there myself, I would
have brought the troops down in seven days, and
have been on the coast before you had disem-
barked. I had done so before, when the Turks
landed with Sydney Smith .*•
I asked if he had not saved Menou*s life after the
13th of Vend6miare ? He replied, *' I certainly
,was the means of saving his life. The convention
ordered him to be tried, and he would have been
guillotined ; I was then commander-in-chief of
Paris. Thinking it very unjust that Menou only
should suffer, while three commissaires of the con-
vention, under whose orders he acted, were left
untried and unpunished ; but not venturing to say
openly that he ought to be acquitted, (for,"* conti-
nued he, '^ in those terrible times a man who told
the truth lost his head,) I had recourse to a stra-
tagem. I invited the members who were trying
him to breakfast, and turned the conversation
upon Menou. I said, that he had acted very
wrong, and deserved to be condemned to death ;
but that firsts the commissioners of the conven-
tion must be tried and condemned, as he had
acted by their orders^ and all must suffer. This
had the desired effect. The members of the court
said, 'We will not allow those civilians to bathe
themselves in our blood, vehile they allow their
own commissioners^ who are more culpable, to
escape with impunity.* Menou was immediately
A VOICB FROM 8T. HELENA. 441
Therefore, when it is necessary to fire at all, it
ought to be done with ball at first. It is a mis-
taken instance of humanity to use powder only at
that moment, and instead of saving the lives of
men^ ultimately causes an unnecessary waste of
human blood "
1 Tth. — ^Napoleon walked round the house for a
short time.
A letter written by Captain Poppleton to Sir
Hudson Lowe, informing his excellency that the
horses of the establishment had been three days
without receiving any hay, and that for a length
of time they had had no litter. Also, that the stuff
sent as hay, was grass recently cut, with occa-
sionally a large portion of cow-grass* mixed ^ith
it. That upon allowing fifty pounds of the said
miscalled hay to dry for two days, it only weighed,
with the rope which bound it, twenty pounds, ac-
cording to a very accurate trial made by himself.
That in consequence, he had directed the grooms
to go and cut some grass if they could find any,
as the horses were starving.
18/A. — Napoleon in very good humour. Joked
with me for some time about St. Patrick, and
endeavoured to speak some English, in which he
succeeded better than I had ever observed be-
fore. I said, that I had remarked divers of his
* A gpecies of inferior coarse f:rasg« which horses will not eat.
VOL. I. 3 L
412
A VOITE FROM ST. HELENA.
expressions in some of the French bulletins. That
from having had the honour of being accustomed
to speak to him, I had recognized some of them,
and took the liberty of asking him if he had not
occasionally written them? He replied, "Where
liiive you seen them?" I answered, at the gover-
nor's, and that I had particularly remarked his
foicible expressions in the bulletin announcing
the burning of Moscow. He laughed, gave me a
gfiitle pull by the ear, and said, "You are right,
8oine of them are mine."
Napoleon then observed, "Your ministers will
not be able to impose always upon the nation.
ISccaiisc they are afraid of me, and think that I
have some talent, and because I have been always
at war with them, and that 1 have made France
jjicater tlian ever she was before, they fear that
I might do so again, and as any thing for the ad-
vantage of France would be disadvantageous to
%
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 443
recollect that this is not the first time that I have
told you so."
*'I am told," added he, "that there is twenty
thousand pounds worth of iron railing sent out. It
is money thrown into the sea. Before this railing
can be fixed up here, I shall be under ground, for
I am sure that I shall not hold out more than two
years under the treatment that I experience."
*' If," continued Napoleon, *' my greatest ene-
mies knew the way in which I am treated, they
would compassionate me. Millions in Europe
will weep for my lot when it is known, and
known it will be, in spite of the endeavours of
this governor to envelope every thing in secrecy
and mystery. He shews how little he knows of
England by thinking to effect this. A man who
has always been accustomed to be amongst a set
of low, vagabond deserters and brigands, where
his word was a law. On a band of poor ignorant
wretches like those, who trembled at the sight of
him, and whom he could threaten to send back to
their own country to be shot, he might impose se-
crecy. Like a man putting his hat over a candle,
he could then conceal the light, but now his en-
deavours resemble those of one who would at-
tempt to obscure and hide the light of the sun by
holding his hat before it. He has nothing English
about him, either within or without. He badly
serves bis government, who are desirous that as
41-1 A YOICB FBOM ST. HBLENA.
little as possible should be said about me, but he
takes the most certain method of effecting the con*
trary."
Sir Hudson Lowe very busy inspecting the
ditches and other works he had ordered to be
thrown up about Longwood House and the
stables.
igth. — Saw Napoleon in his bath. He was
reading a little book, which I perceived to be a
French New Testament. I could not help ob-
serving to him, that many people would not be-
lieve that he would read such a book, as it had
been asserted and credited by some that he was
an unbeliever. Napoleon laughed and replied,
*' Cependant ee nest pM vrai. Je suis loin ditre
Ath^e. (Nevertheless, it is not true. I am far
from being an Atheist.) In spite of all the iniqui-
ties and frauds of the teachers of religion, who are
eternally preaching up that their kingdom is not
of this world, and yet seize every thing which they
can lay their hands upon, from the time that I ar-
rived at the head of the government, I did every
thing in my power to re-establish religion. But I
wished to render it the foundation and prop of
morality and good principles, and not h prendre
Vessor of the human laws. Man has need of some-
thing wonderful. It is better for him to seek it
in religion than in M"« le Normand.* Moreover,
* A celebrated fortnne-taller at Pari^ oonaolted by iuipeBQCiaiid
A VOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 4ij
religion is a great consolation and resource to
those who possess it, and no man can pronounce
what he will do in his last moments."*
Napoleon then made some remarks upon the
conduct of the governor, whom he declared to be
a man totally unfit for bis situation. ^' If he were,"
said he, ^* he might make it pleasant and interest-
iii^. He might spend much of his time with me,
and get great information with respect to past oc-
currences, with which no other person could be so
well acquainted or so satisfactorily account for.
You see what I am, dottore. Even unknown to
myself, he would imperceptibly have opportuni-
ties of getting information from me, which would
be very desirable to his ministers, and which I am
certain they have ordered him to obtain, and that
he bums to know. If I had really any intention
of effecting my escape from this place, instead of
disagreeing with him I would caress and flatter
him, endeavour to be on the best terms, go to
Plantation House, call on his wife, and try to
make him believe that I was contented, and
thereby lull his suspicions asleep. In fact, this
governor d un imhecille che sa scrivere (he is an im-
becile who knows how to write). Every person,
however imhecille^ has some kind of talent : one for
music, another for drawing, another for some me-
chanical art| and this imbecile for writing (per lo
scrivere)^
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 447
ganize the best method of accomplishing the sepa-
ration of Poland from Russia. He had several
conferences with me respecting this mission^ which
was a great surprise to the ministers^ as Talley-
rand had no official character at the time. Hav-
ing married one of his relations to the Duchess of
Courland, Talleyrand was very anxious to receive
the appointment^ that he might revive the claims
of the Duchess's family. However, some money
transactions of his were discovered at Vienna,
which convinced me that he was carrying on his
old game of corruption, and determined me not
to employ him on the intended mission. I had
designed at one time to have made him a cardi-
nal, with which he refused to comply. Madame
Grant threw herself twice upon her knees before
me, in order to obtain permission to marry him,
which I refused; but through the intreaties of Jo-
sephine, she succeeded on the second application.
I afterwards forbade her the court, when I disco-
vered the Genoa affair, of which I told you before.
Latterly,** continued he, " Talleyrand sunk into
contempt."
" Ney," said he, *' never made use of haughty
language at Fontainbleau in my presence ; on the
contrary, he was always submissive before me,
although in my absence he sometimes broke out
into violence^ as he was a man without education.
If he had made use of unbecoming language to-
446 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA,
I said that I could not deny that Sir Hudson
Lowe was hasty, and allowed the fear of his (Napo-
leon s) making his escape to get the better of his un-
derstanding, but that he was not devoid of talent.
Tliat he had said his situation was one of great
delicacy, his responsibility great, and his orders
rigid. That he had desired me to say, that Las
Cases had ccnfessed that the French about his
person had made him see every thing par un voile
de sang. *^Les bites mime ont leurs talens^ re-
plied the emperor. " As to his saying, that I was
made to see every thing h travers d\m voile de
sangy ma foi^ partonl oA Von voit le bourreaUy on
voit du sang. Las Cases certainly was greatly ir-
ritated against him, and contributed materially to-
wards forming the impression existing upon my
mind, because Las Cases is a man of a feeling
mind, and extremely sensible to the ill treatment
which has been put in practice towards me and
himself. But I had no occasion for the assistance
of Las Cases towards giving me that opinion, as
the treatment I experienced was fully suflScient in
itself to create it, and Montholon has merely writ-
ten according to my orders,**
20th. — Saw Napoleon in his bed-room in his
morning gown. He spoke at length about some
statements in Warden's book. "At one time I had
appointed Talleyrand," said he, "to proceed on
a mission to Warsaw, in order to arrange and or-
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 447
ganize the best method of accomplishing the sepa-
ration of Poland from Russia. He had several
conferences with me respecting this mission^ which
was a great surprise to the ministers^ as Talley-
rand had no official character at the time* Hav-
ing married one of his relations to the Duchess of
Courland, Talleyrand was very anxious to receive
the appointment^ that he might revive the claims
of the Duchess's family. However, some money
transactions of his were discovered at Vienna,
which convinced me that he was carrying on his
old game of corruption, and determined me not
to employ him on the intended mission. I had
designed at one time to have made him a cardi-
nal, with which he refused to comply. Madame
Grant threw herself twice upon her knees before
me, in order to obtain permission to marry him,
which I refused ; but through the intreaties of Jo-
sephine, she succeeded on the second application.
I afterwards forbade her the court, when I disco-
vered the Genoa affair, of which I told you before.
Latterly,** continued he, ** Talleyrand sunk into
contempt.**
" Ney,** said he, *' never made use of haughty
language at Fontainbleau in my presence ; on the
contrary, he was always submissive before me,
although in my absence he sometimes broke out
into violence as he was a man without education.
If he had made use of unbecoming language to-
448 A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA.
wards me at Fontainbleau, the troops would have
torn him to pieces.'*
" Lavalette,** added Napoleon, "knew nothing
of my intended return from Elba, or of what was
hatching there. Madame Lavalette was of the fa-
mily of Beauharnais. She was a very fine woman.
Louis my brother fell in love with and wanted to
marry her ; to prevent which I caused her to es-
pouse Lavalette to whom she was attached.**
" When Lavalette was director of posts,** con-
tinued Napoleon, "I was desirous to be made
acquainted with the sentiments of the nation rela-
tive to my administration. I appointed twelve
persons, all of different ways of thinking, some
jacobins, others royalists, some republicans, impe-
rialists, &c. with a salary of a thousand francs a
month, whose business it was to make monthly
reports to Lavalette of the opinions which they
had heard expressed and their own, relative to
the public acts. These reports were brought to
me unopened by Lavalette. After reading, and
making extracts when necessary, I burned them.
This was conducted so secretly, that even the mi-
nisters did not know of it.**
Napoleon added, that he had never told Ney
that he had entered France with the privity and
support of England ; that on the contrary he had
always disclaimed and reprobated the idea of re-
turning by the aid of foreign bayonets, and had
^ofaie JiWrpcisely to bverturii »'4fimty upheld by
then^.' That Idl he^ooked for was the support ^
the French iilatioiij to^v^h all to proclamations
would bear tvitnests. He afterwards delivered the
followiag history of Kohegra^s conspiracy.
"The doctor has giv^en a very imperfect ac-
count of the part taken by Captain Wright in
the conspiracy against me^ In different nights
of August/ September, and December, 1803, and
January, 1804, Wright landed Georges, Pichegni,
Rivifere, Coster, St. Victor, La Haye, St. Hilair^
and othera, at Beville. The four last named had
been accomplices in the former attempt to assas-
sinate me by means of the infernal machine, and
most of the rest were well known to be chiefs of
the Chouans. They remained during the day in
a little fiarm-house near to where they had landed^
the proprietor of which had been bribed to assist
them. They travelled only by night, pretending
to be smugglers, concealing themselves in the day-
time in lodgings which had been previously procur*
ed for them. They had plenty of money, and>6^
mained at Paris for some time without being disco-
vered, although the police had some intimation that
a plot was going on, through Meh^ de la Touche,
who although paid as a spy by your ministers,*
* Napdeon informed me that Meh^ had received from Mr. Pn^e
■ad other ottiekl penoiu tteaily 2^0^000 francs. . -;
VOL. I. 3 M
450 ▲ VOICB PROM ST. HBLBNA.
disclosed every thing to the French police. He
had several conferences with Drake^ yonr charge
d'affaires at Munich^ from whom he received large
sums of money. Some of the brigands who
had been landed were arrested and interrogated
By their answers it appeared that a man named
Mussey, who lived at Offembourg, along with the
Dnke d*£nghien^ was very active in corresponding
with and sending money to those who had been se*
cretly landed on the coasts ; and most of whom
could give no good reason why they had ventured
to return to Paris at the imminent hazard of their
lives^ as they had not been included in the am-
nesty. The list of the prisoners and their answers
on examination were, submitted to me. I was
very anxious^ and on looking over it one nighty I
remarked that one of the number named Querela
was stated to be a surgeon. It immediately struck
me that this man was not actuated by enthusiasm^
or by a spirit of party, but by the hope of gain^
He will therefoi*e be more likely to confess tlian any
of the others ; and the fear of death will probably
induce him to betray his accomplices. I ordered
him to be tried as a Cbouan ; and according to
the laws, he was condemned to death. It was
not a mock trial, as Warden thought : on the con-
trary, while leading to execution, he demanded
to be heard, and promised to make important
disclosures. Information of this was brou^t to
A \X)ICE FROM ST. HELENA. 431
mc by Lauristan, and Querel was conducted
back to prison, where he was interrogated by the
grand judge R^al. He confessed that he had
come from England, and had been landed in Au-
gust, 1803, from Wright's ship, along with Georges
and several others. That Georges was then in
F^ris, planning the assassination of the first consul.
He also pointed out the houses where the other
conspirators and himself had stopped on their
way to Paria. Police officers were immediately
sent to the place he had designated ; and from
the result of their inquiries it appeared that he
had told the truth, and that since the time he had
described, two other landings of similar gentry
bad been effected by Wright^ with the last of
whom there had been some person of consequence
whose name they could not discover^ and that
they soon expected another cargo. The Duke of
Rovigo, as I told you once before, was imme--
diately sent to Beville with a party of the police,
in the hope of being able to seize them. An emi-
grant, named Bouvet de Lozier, who has since
been employed at the Isle of France, was also ar-
rested. After he had been confined for some
weeks he became desperate and hung himself in
the prison one morning. The gaoler, who heard
an uncommon noise in his room, went in and cut
him down before life had departed. While he was
recovering his senses be burst out into incoherent
452 A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
exclamations^ that Moreau had brought Pichegni
from London. That he was a traitor^ and had per*
suaded them that all the army were for him, and
that he would proye the cause of their destruction.
Those expressions excited an alarm. The police
knew that a brother of Fichegru's who had once
been a monk^ lived in P^ris. He was arrested
and examined. He avowed that he had seen his
brother a day or two before^ and asked if it were
a crime? Moreau was immediately arrested^ and
large rewards were oflTered by the police for the
apprehension of Georges and Pichegni. Ficbegni
was betrayed by one of his old friends^ who came
to the police and offered to deliver him into their
hands for a hundred thousand francs paid on the
Spot. Georges still continued to elude the vigi«
lance of the police. I proclaimed the city of Paris
to be in a state of siege^ and no persim was al-
lowed to quit it unless by day, and through cer-
tain barriers, where were stationed people to whom
the persons of the conspirators were familiar.
About three weeks afterwards, Georges was be^
trayed and taken, after having shot one of the men
who tried to arrest him. All his accomplices
were subsequently taken. Rchegru did not deny
having been employed by the Bourbons and be-
haved with great audacity. Afterwards finding
his case desperate, he strangled himself in the
prison. The rest of the conspirators were publicly
A/TOICNi ntOM AT. HCIJUfA.
453
tried in the EK»itli of Mayb^tore the tribunal of
the depctrtmett ^ theSdne, and in the presence
of all the foreigi^ amna^dadoriHi IVuis* Georges^
Pdlignac, Rivi^re^ CQ6ter> tod gixteea or seyen-
Iteenothens wecefoand g^lty.c^ having, conspired
against the life of th^ 6hief i magistrate of the
Fjpen<^h;nalMn, and eondemiDeed td deaths jGneorgesi
Coster,, and jstiirea .^ eight more; wei* cswouted*
jRivi^re was -pardosed^ pwitfihyiAh^ praj^^srs of
Mfirat. .1 pardoned some of the others also. Mo-
t^eaiivWas. poademoed to two yeai^ Unprisonmenti
5Fhi^h.;l9^:<)On)iiiHited into hanishpient to Ame-
ripiL . Jmlea :de Polignac^ confidant Qf the Count
d^Artoijs, I and many others, were also condemned
to j«^risp|iinent«
^ It was discovered," continued Napoleon, ^bjr
the confession of some of the conspirators, that
the Duke d'Enghien was an accomplice, ^nd that
he If as only waiting on the frontiers of France
for the news of my assassination^ upon receiving
which he was to have entered France as the king*s
lieutenant. Was I to suffer that ibe Count d'Ar«
tois should send a parcel of miscreants to murder
me, and that a prince of his house should hover on
the borders of the country that I governed to pro*
fit by my assassination^ According to the laws
of nature, I was authorized to cause him to be as-
sassinated in retaliation for the numerous attenu)ts
of th$ kind that he had before caused tp b? made
454 A TOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA*
against me. I gave orders to hare him seized.
He was tried and condemned by a law made long
before I had any power m France. He was tried
by a military commisi^on formed of all the colo-
nels of the regiments then in garrison at Paris.
He was accused of haying borne arms against the
republic^ which he did not deny. When before
the tribunal^ he behayed with great brayery. When
he arriyed at Strasbnrg, he wrote a letter ta me^
in which he offered to discoyer erery thing if par-
don were granted to him^ said that his family had
lost their claims for a long time^ and concluded
by offering his sendees to me. This letter was
deliyered to Talleyrand, who concealed it until
after his execution. Had the Count d'Artois bee&
in his place he would haye suffered the same fate ;
and were I now placed under similar circum-
stances^ I would act in a similar manner. As the
police," added Napoleon, ^ did not Uke to trust
to the eyidence of Meh^ de la Touche alone, they
sent Captain Rosey, (a man in whose integrity
they had eyery confidence,) to Drake at Munich,
with a letter from Meh6e, which procured him an
intenriew, the result of which confirmed Meh^*k
statement^ that he was concerned in a plot to ter^
rasser le premier consul, no matter by what means.*^
^ While the Duke d'Enghien was on his trial, Madame la Mar^
chal Beaai^re aaid to Colonel Ord^er, who had arrested him, **An
tkereaopecsiUemeaaatQaavethatMttfivttsrf Hfea hin goflt Iwii
A TOICB FROM 8T. HSUNA. 455
Q3rd. — Napoleon dressed and in the billiard-
room. In very good hnmonr. Grave him some
libels upon himself. They were all in French^
and amongst others was ^M^moires secrets^ *^Bo^
naparte pemt par lui mhnty and which excited his
laughter.
Napoleon then asked several questions about the
governor. I said that Sir Hudson had desired me
to say^ a few days ago^ that he had every wish to
accommodate, and that he thought that Las Cases,
Warden, and Mrs. Skelton,* and some others, had
been the means of producing much ill-blood, and
a great deal of misunderstanding. Napoleon re-
plied, *^S'inganna (he is deceived). In the first
place, it was the badness of his physiognomy (era
sua cattiva /accia) ; next his wanting to force me
to receive the visit of an officer twice in the twenty-
atUbliahed beyond a doubt ?" '' Madame/ rqdied Colonel Qrd^ner,
^ I found in hia house lacka of papers sufficient to compromise the
half of France." — ^The duke was executed in the mornings and not by
torch-light as has been represented.
* Mrs. Skelton was accused by the goremor of having told Napo«
leon one day at dinner, that from experience she knew he would not
always find Longwood pleasant. That at certain times of the year
it was a damp, disagreeable, bleak, and unhealthy residence; as a
pioof of which, she mentioned that she nerer could anooeed in rear-
ing poultry there; while down in the compan/s garden, iitnated in
A sheltered valley, about four hundred yards distant^ aha had no dif«
ionlty in bringing them up. Mrs. Skelton and hnSfy had redded
it Longwood a few months in eaoh year for firar or Are yeazf before
Kflpoleon airived.
45& xwmem. wbou bt. hslbka;
fbnr Iknint ;^i;lvai kbe letter to Bertrand ; his Wish-
ing that li shonld send yoa away^ and to give me
9. sui^geon of His own choice ; the manner m whiob
be spolce to me about the wooden house; his let^
ters ' ftiU of sdftniess^ accompanying the train of
vexations which followed ; and his always leaving
something doubtful which he could liflerwards in-
tierpret as best suited his views. In fact^ he wanted
by shewing that he could render things disagree*
able^ to compel us to bend^ and submissively de^
mand pardon of lum^ go to Plantation House, and
be his very humble servants.**
^^ It appears that Warden has been informed/*
added Napoleon, ^ that I applied some lines of
Shakespeare to Madame Montholon. You well
know that I could not then, nor can I now, quote
English verse, nor have I ever intended to convey
a reflection on Madame Montholon. On the con-
trary, I think that she possesses more firmness and
caracUre than most of her sex.**
24/A. — ^Napoleon complained of swellings in hig
legs, for which I recommended some simple reme-
dies, which he put in practice.
He afterwards observed that he had been^ readf
ing all yesterday the Secret Memoirs of himself
Pichon*s work, &t. ^ These libels," said he,
'^ havfc done me more good than harm in France^
because they irritated tl^e nation both against the
writers, and the Bourbons who paid them, by re-
A VOICB PBOM ST. HELENA. 457
presenting me as a monster, and by the impro-
bable and scandalous falsehoods they contained
against me, and the government under me, which
were degrading to them as a nation. Even Cha-
teaubriand has done me good by his work. Pichon,
the author of the state of France under Bona-
parte, had been consul in America, and was dis-
graced by me for having embezzled three millions,
part of which he was obliged to refund, as I was
very particular with consuls and other agents, and
always examined their accounts myself. This
Pichon, after he had published his libel, was sent
by me to London as a spy after my return from
Elba ; at least, he was so far sent by me, that I
suffered it> because, although he was tut coquin, he
had some esprit, and on account of the nature of
bis writings, would not be suspected. You see
what dependance is to be placed upon writers of
libels. This man, who in 1814 had written such
a libel against me, went in 1815 as a spy for the
police of the very person whom he had so grossly
Hbelled."
2Sth. — Napoleon in his bath. His legs much
better. In very good spirits. ** It appears, Mr.
Doctor,"* said he,, ^^p^^ ^e books you lent me,
that at a very early agb I, poisoned a girl; that I
poisoned others for the mere pleasure of poison*
ing ; that I assassinated Desaix, Kleber, the Duka
of Abrantes, and I know not how many others i
VOL. I. 3 N
458 A VOICE FROM KT. HELENA.
that I went to the array of Italy, consisting of
some thousand galley-slaves, who were extremely
happy to see me, as being one of their fraternity.
It is surprising what things are believed on both
sides, in consequence of not having had communis
cation with each other. In France, if a house was
burnt down, the vulgar attributed it to the English.
Pitt, Pitt, was the cry directly. Nothing could
persuade the French canaille that the conflagra-
tion at Lyon had not been eflfected by the English.
In like manner, you English believed every thing
bad of me, which belief was always encouraged
by your ministers. Your **** also, with the
exception of Fox, who was sincere in his desire
for peace, encouraged • • * against me.** Here I
made some observations in disbelief of the asser-
tion, to which Napoleon replied, •'When they
furnished ships to land, and money to support,
men whose professed object was to assassinate
me, was not that being privy to it ?"* I said that
they had furnished ships and money to assist in
accomplishing a revolution, but without having
known that assassination formed part of their
plans. ** Doctor,** replied Napoleon, ^ you are
a child. They knew it well. Fifty or sixty bri-
gands, the most of them notorious for assassina-
tion, could have no other mode of effecting a revo-
lution. They had republished in London at the
fame time a book called, ^Killing no Murder*
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 459
which had been originally printed in Cromwell's
time ; for the purpose of inculcating a belief that
assassinating me was not only not a crimCj but
that it would be a praisewoi*thy and meritorious
action. Fox indeed was of a contrary opinion.
That great man wrote to Talleyrand, and informed
him that a coquin had come that morning to him
r
with a proposal to assassinate me.**
" When I was at Elba,** added Nopoleon, ** I
was visited by an English nobleman, a Catholic,
about thirty years old, and from Northumberland^
I believe. He had dined a few weeks before with
the Duke de Fleury, with whom he had a conver-
sation relative to the sum of money to be allowed
me annually by France, according to the agree-
ment that had been signed by the ministers of the
allied powers. The duke laughed at him for sup-
posing for a moment that it would be complied
with^ and s^d, that they were not such fools.
This was one of the reasons which induced me to
quit Elba. I do not believe that Castlereagh
thought I would have ventured to leave it, as
otherwise some frigates would have been stationed
about the island. If they had kept a frigate in
the harbour, and another outside, it would have
been impossible for me to have gone to France,
except alone, which I never would have attempted.
If even the king of France had ordered a frigate
with a picked crew to cruise off the island, it
4fi0 A vote B FROM ST. IIKLBHIl.
would have prevented me." I asked if lie tliouglit
that it had been the intention of the allies to have
sent him to St. Helena ? " Why," replied the em-
peror, "it was much spoken of. However, Co-
lonel Campbell denied it. They must have sent
an army to take me, I could have held out for
some months. But there were many violations
of the treaty of Fontainbleau by the allies^ which
authorized and obliged me to take the step I did.
Independent of what I have told you, it was stU
pulated and agreed to, that all the members of
my family should be allowed to follow me to
Elba ; but iu violation of tbaty my wife and child
were seized, detained, and never permitted to jbin
a husband imd a £ither. They were also to have
had the duchies of Pbrma, Placentia, and Guas^
talla, which th^ were deprived of. By the treaty
Prince Eugene was to have had a principality in
Italy, which was never given. My mother ai;id
brothers were to receive pensions, which were alsv
refused to them. My own private property, and
the savings which I had made on the civil Ust.
were ]to have been preserved for me. Instead of
that, they were seized in the hands of Labouillerii^
the treasurer, contrary to the treaty, and all claims
made by me rejected. The private property, of
my jEamily was to be held sacred ; it was confis^
cated. The dotations assigned to the army on the
Mont Napoleon, were to be preserved, they were
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 461
Suppressed; nor wt»re tlieliiindred thousand franes,
*whicli were to be given as pensions to persons
pointed out by nie, ever paid. Moreover, assas-
4nns were sent to Elba to murder me. Never,**
eontinued Napoleon^ -* have the terms of a treaty
4)een more evidently violated, and, indeed, openly
scoffed at, than those irere by the allies, and yet
your ministers had the impudence to tell the na-
tion, that I was the first violator of the treaty of
Fontsunbleau.**
I observed that the allies had given as a reason
for their conduct towards him, that he had aimed
at universal dominion. " No," replied the empe-
lor, " I certainly wished to render France tlie
most powerful nation in the world, but no further.
I did not aim at universal dominion. It was my
intention to have made Italy an independent king*
dom. There are natural bounds for France, which
I did not intend to pass. It was my object to
prevent England from being able to go to war
with France, without assistance from some of the
great continental powers, without which, indeed,
she ought never to venture.**
Had some <x>nversation about Ferdinand of
Spam. **When Ferdinand was at Valengay,**
said Napoleon, ^' he always expressed great hatred
of the English, a^d . declared^ that the first thing
he would dp, on bis return to Spain, would be to
4G2 A VOICR FROM ST. HELRNA.
re-establish the Inquisition. Yon English will
find one day, that by restoring him, you have
done yourselves a great national injury. While
at Valengay, he said that he would prefer remain-
ing in France to returning to Spain, and wrote 8e»
veral times to me, begging of me to adopt and give
him a Frenchwoman in marriage.**
'^ I observe now,** added he, ^ that as your mi-
nisters and the Bourbonists cannot any longer
deny that I have done some good to France, they
endeavour to turn it, by saying, that whatever
good I effected was done through the persuasions
of Josephine. For example, they say that it was
Josephine who induced me to recall the emigrants.
Now the fact is, that Josephine was the most ami-
able and the best of women, but she never inter-
fered with politics. Their object is to persuade
the world that I am incapable of a good action.
But your English travellers will produce a great
change in the opinion of their nation.**
Sir Pulteney and Lady Malcolm, Captains
Stanfell and Festing, of the navy, came up and
had an interview with Napoleon. When they
came out, Captain * * expressed his astonishment
at finding Napoleon so different a person to what
he was reported. ^ Instead of bdng a roughs im-
patient, and imperious character/ said h^ ^ I
found him to be mild^ gentle in hfa manner, and
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA. 4<)3
one of the pleasantest men I ever saw. I shall
never forget him, nor how different he is from the
idea I had been led to form of him."
Sir Palteney Malcolm expressed to me his
ardent wish that matters might be accommodated
between Napoleon and the governor, adding, that
two opportunities of effecting it would soon pre-
sent themselves, viz. the arrival of Lord Amherst,
and of Admiral Plampin ; that he much wished
that both should be introduced by Sir Hudson
Lowe, and, indeed, thought that Lord Amherst
could not be introduced by any other person.
Napoleon, accompanied by Countesses Bertrand
and Montholon, and their husbands, walked down
into the wood. On their return, chairs were brought
out and placed in front of the billiard-room, where
they remained for some time after sun-set.
26th. — ^Napoleon conversed a good deal about
the battle of Waterloo. '' The plan of the battle,**
said he, ^' will not in the eyes of the historian re-
flect any credit on Lord Wellington as a general.
In the first place^ he ought not to have given bat-
tle with the armies divided. They ought to have
been united and encamped before the 15th. In
the next, the choice of ground was bad ; because
if he had been beaten he could not have retreated,
as there was only one road leading to the forest
in his rear. He also committed a fault which
might have proved the destruction of all his army,
A TOIC£ FROM ST. HELENA. 465
however, I only reckoned the English as being
able to cope with my own. llie others I thought
little of. I believe that of English there were
flx>m thirty-five to forty thousand. These I es-
teemed to be as brave and as good as my own
troops; the English army was well known lat-
terly on the continent; and besides, your nation
possesses courage and energy. As to the Prus-
rians, Belgians, and others, half the number of
xny troops were sufficient to beat them. I only
left thirty-four thousand men to take care of the
Fhissians. The chief causes of the loss of that
battle were, first of all, Grouchy^s great tardiness
and neglect in executing his orders ; next, the gre-
nadiers d cheval and the cavalry under General
Gnyot, which I had in reserve, and which were
never to leave me, engaged without orders and
without my knowledge ; so that after the last
charge, when the troops were beaten, and the
English cavalry advanced, I had not a single
corps of cavalry in reserve to resist them ; instead
of one which I esteemed to be equal to double
their own number. In consequence of this, the
English attack succeeded, and all was lost. There
was no means of rallying. The youngest general
would not have committed the fault of leaving an
army entirely without reserve, which however oc-
curred her^ whether in consequence of treason^
YOU 1. So
406 A TOICB FROM ST. HELENA.
or tidty I cannot say. These were the two princi*
pal causes of the loss of the battle of Waterloo.**
^ If Lord Wellmgton had entrenched himself,"
continued he, ^ I would not have attacked him*
As a general, his plan did not shew talent. He
certiunly displayed great courage and obstinacy;
but a little must be taken away even from that
when you consider that he had no means of re*
treat, and that, had he made the attempt, not a
man of his army would have escaped, first, to
the firmness and bravery of his troops, for the
English fought with the greatest obstinacy Mid
courage, he is principally indebted for the vie*
tory, and not to his own conduct as a general ;
and next, to the arrival of Blucher, to whom the
victory is more to be attributed than to Welling*
ton, and more credit due as a general ; because
he, although beaten the day before, assembled bis
troops, and brought them into action in the evea*
ing. I believe, however,** continued Napole<Mi,
^ that Wellington is a man of great firmness. The
glory of such a victory is a great thing ; but in
the eye of the histoiian, his military reputatioii
will gain nothing by it.**
Napoleon then spoke about the libeb upon
himself which I had collected for him. ^ As y^**
said he, you have not procured me one that is
worthy of an answer. Would yon have ment
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLSNA. 467
down and reply to Goldsmith, Pichon, or the
Quarterly Review? They are so contemptible
and so absurdly false, that they do not merit any
other notice than to wntefaHx^/auXy in every page,
llie only truth I have seen in them is, that one
day I met an officer, Rapp, I believe, in the field
of battle, with his face covered with blood, and
that I cried, ohj comme ii est beau I This is true
enough ; and of it they have made a crime. My
admiration of the gallantry of a brave soldier is
construed into a crime, and a proof of my delight-
ing in blood. But posterity will do me that jus-
tice which is denied to me now. If I were that
tyrant^ that monster, would the people and the
army have flown to join me with the enthusiasm
they shewed when I landed from Elba with a
handful of men ? Could I have marched to P^ris,
and have seated myself upon the throne without a
musquet having been fired ? Ask the French na-
tion ? Ask the Italian r
" I have,"* continued he, ^^ been twice married.
Political motives induced me to divorce my first
wife, whom I tenderly loved. She, poor woman,
fortunately for herself, died in time to prevent her
witnessing the last of my misfortunes. Let Marie
Louise be asked with what tenderness and affec-
tion I always treated her. After her forcible se
pai ation from me, she avowed in the most feeling
terms to * * ^ her ardent desire to join me, ex-
409 A VOICE FROM ST. HELEiXA;
tolled with many tears both myself and my con-
duct to her« and bitterly lamented her cruel sepa-
ration, avowing her ardent desrre to join me in my
exile. Is this the result of the conduct of a mer«
dless, unfeeling tyrant ? A man is known by his
conduct to his wife^ ta his family, and to those
under him. I have doubtless erred more or less
in politics, but a crime I have never committed.
The doctor in his book makes me say that I never
committed an useless crime, which is equivalent to
saying that I have not scrupled to commit one when
I had any object in view, which I deny altogether.
I have never wished but the glory and the good of
France. All my faculties were consecrated to that
object, but I never employed crime or assassina*
tion to forward it.''
" The Duke d'Enghien, who was engaged upof^
the frontiers of my territories in a plot to assassi-
Bate roe, I caused to be seized and given up to
justice which condemned him. He bad a fair
trial. Let your ministers and the Bourbons do
their utmost to calumniate me, the truth will be
discovered. Le mensonge passe^ la virit^ reste.
Let them employ all dishonourable means like
Lord C * ♦ ♦ *, who, not content with sending me
here, has had the baseness to make me speak and
to put such words into my mouth as he thinks will
best answer his views. Cest un hamme ignoble-
Perhaps they wish me to live for a short time, and
a TOICB FHOM 8T. HELENA. '449
<lo not put me to death, in order to make me say
whatever will suit their purposes. The ruin of
England was never my intention. We were ene-
mies and I did my utmost to gain the upper hand.
Gngiand did the same. After the treaty of Amiens
I would always have made a peace, placing the
two countries upon equal terms as to commercial
rdations.^
I mentioned that f tiad conceived he had once
expressed to me that his intentions had been to
have united England to France, if he had found
liimself sufficiently powerful. He replied, ^^ I said
that I could not unite two nations so dissimilar. I
intended, if I had succeeded in my projected de-
scent, to have abolished the monarchy, and esta-
blished a republic instead of the oligarchy by which
you are governed. I would have separated ire-
land from England; the formei* of Which I would
have made an independent republic. No, no; I
would have left them to themselves after having
iSown the «eeds of republicanism in their morale.
I told the emperor then, that Lord Amherst,
{the late British ambassador to China,) was ex-
pected bere in a few days. He said, be thought
the English ministers bad acted wrong in not
having ordered him to comply with the customs
of the place he was sent to, or otherwise not to
have sent him at all. I observed, that the English
would consider it as debasing to the nation, if
470 A TOICB PROM ST. RBIBNA.
Lord Amherst had consented to prostrate him-
self in the manner required. That if such a point
was conceded, the Chinese would probably not be
contented, and would require similar ceremonies
to be performed as those insisted upon by the
Japanese, and complied with so disgracefully by
the Dutch. That, besides. Lord Amherst was
willing to pay the same obeisance to the empemr
as he would do to his own king. Napoleon re-
plied, '^ It is quite a diflTerent thing. One is a
mere ceremony, performed by all the great men of
the nation to their chief, and the other is a national
degradation required of strangers, and of strainers
only. It is my opinioa, that whatever is the cus-
tom of a nation, and is practised by the first cha-
racters of that nation towards their elue^ cannot
degrade strangers who perform the same. Diffei^-
ent nations have different customs. In England,
yon kiss the king^s hand at court. Such a tlung
in France would be considered ridiculous, and
the person who did it would be held up to public
scorn ; but still the French ambassador wiio per-
formed it in England, would not be considered to
have degraded himself. In England, some hun-
dred years back, the king was served kneeling^
the same ceremony now takes place in Sptnn. In
Italy, you kiss the pope*s toe, yet it is not consi-
dered as a degradation. A man who goes into a
country must comply with the ceremonies in hm
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 471
there^ and it would have been no degradation what-
ever for Lord Amherst to have submitted to such
ceremonies before the emperor of China, as are
performed by the first mandarins of that empire.
You say that he was willing to render such re-
spect as was paid to his own king. You have no
right to send a man to China to tell them that they
must perform certiun ceremonies, because such
are practised in England. Suppose now, for the
sake of example, that it were the custom in £ng«
land, instead of kissing the king*s hand, that he
should offer his breech to be kissed by those who
were presented to him ; why then, forsooth, the
Emperor of China must let down his breeches^
^ because it was the practice in Eng-
land."
These observations were delivered with such
suitable action, and significant gestures, that I
could not help, for some moments, giving vent
very freely to laughter, in which the emperor good
humouredly joined.
If I,** continued he, ^'had sent an ambassador
to China, I would have ordered him to make him-
self acquainted with the ceremonies performed be-
fore the emperor, by the first mandarins ; and, if
required^ to do the same himself, and no more.
Now, perhaps, you will lose the friendship of the
nation, and great commercial advantages, through
this piece of nonsense.* I said, that we could
472 A VOICE FROM ST. HELBNiU
easily compel the Chinese to grant good terms by
means of a few ships of war ; that, for example,
we could deprive them altogether of salt, by a few
crnizers properly stationed. Napoleon replied,
" It would be the worst thing you have done for
a number of years, to go to war with an immense
empire like China, and possessing so many re-
sources. You would doubtless, at first, succeed,
take what vessels they have, and destroy their
trade ; but you would teach them their own
strength. They would be compelled to adopt
measures to defend themselves against you ; they
would consider, and say, ^ we must try to make
ourselves equal to this nation. Why should we
suffer a people, so br away, to do as they please
to us ? We must build ships, we must put guns
into them, we must render ourselves equal to them.*
. They would,* continued the emperor, ^'get arti-
ficers and ship-builders from France and Ame-
rica, and even from London ; they would build a
fleet, and, in the course of time, defeat you.**
I observed that it was likely Lord Amherst
would wait upon him. Napoleon replied, " if he
IS to be presented by the governor, or if the latter
sends one of his staff with him, I will not receive
him ; if he comes with the admiral, I shall. Neither
will I receive the new admiral if he is to be intro*
duced hy the governor. In his last letter there is
an insult to us. He says, that we may go round by
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 473
Miss Mason's, bat that we mast not go off the
main road.* Where is this main road ? I never
could find any. If I were obliged to step aside a
few yards for any occasion I should be exposed to
be shot at by a sentinel. The admiral^ when he
was here last^ spoke like his advocate^ and wanted
me to receive him with Lord Amherst. I would
not receive my own son if he were to be presented
by him !"
27th. — ^Napoleon in his bath. Gave me some
explanations touching what had been said of his
having kept secret from his soldiers in Egypt for
a long time that the plague had got into the army.
" I,** said he, " once touched a soldier in the hos-
pital who was infected, with a view to convince
the troops that the disease was not the plague ;
and I believe that I succeeded for fifteen days in
persuading them that it was only a fever, with
buboes. I rarely practised visiting the hospital,"*
continued he, *• as the extreme sensibility of my
nose was such, that the smell always made me ill,
on which account I was advised by Corvisart and
my other physicians not to attempt it. Even dur-
ing my campaigns in Europe I seldom visited
them.**
29th. — ^The emperor again in his bath. Con-
versed about the English manufacturers, blamed
* The flkitft road is a path impassable by wheel-carriages.
VOL.1. 3 P
A TOICB FKOM 89.^ HECBMA; 473
as they could, and oonsequently would not find
purchasers* In Germany and Switzerland, for
example, there were a great number of machines.**
He spoke again about Liord Amherst, and ob-
served, that it would be an insult to ask a Chinese
ambassador if there were one in London, to per«-
form nmilar ceremonies tb^vey aa were required of
the English ambassadcnr at Pekin, because it was
not the custom of the country ihoinros in. ^ >^Far
example,** said he^ ^ if the king 4>f Ermica w^ere to.
require the EngUsb^ ambassador ta kiss his^ hand^
it would be an insult teliim^ becauseit is not the
custom in France, eithaaghihis ambasamlm did it
in Lond<m. In liket maimer te ask a mandarin to
perform a similar .ceremM>ny. before king Gtorge*s
picture is tibStise and an insult to Ghinar; because
it is not the custom of the place. Aa ambassador
is for the affairs, and not for the ceremmiesoi the
country he belongs to. Me becomes the same as
one of the first nobles of the country he is in, and
should conform to the same ceremonies. If any
thing more were required of him, then indeed he
ought to refuse his consent.**
Sist. — ^Dined at IHantation House in company
with Count Balmaine, Baron and, Baroneas Stor*
mer. Captain Gor^^ &c. T|ie commissiouen very
anuous to know something about. Napoleon,
Told Baron Stunnei« with whom I had a long con*
T^rsatioiv.that J(>Ifipoleon had said when be read
476 A TOICB FROM 8T. HELENA^
a letter in the newspapers which was attributed to
the Marqnis Montchenu, that it was another proof
of the imbecility of Vancienne noblesse de France^
que ces messieurs Id sont toujaurs les mimes.
April 2nd. — Saw Napoleon, who was in tolera*
ble spirits. I asked if it were tme that he had
been induced to quit Egypt by his having received
private information that the directory purposed to
get him assassinated there? ^No/ replied the
emperor, ^ I never heard, or thought so ; neither
had the directory any intention of causing it to
be done. They were jealous of me certainly, but
they had no idea of the kind ; and in the actual
situation of France I do not think that they
wished it. I returned from Egypt because my
presence was necessary to the republici and be-
cause the first object of the expedition had been
gained by the conquest of Egypt.** I asked if the
project had originated with him, or with the dU
rectory. " With both one and the other * replied
Napoleon, ^ We both thought of it at the same
time*
Told him what I had said to Baron Sturmer
about Montchenu. ^ For the credit of France,*'
said he, ^ they ought to have sent out amongst the
English some person possessed of a little talent^
instead of an old Imbecile.**
Mr. and Misses Churchill from Indm came up
yesterday to see Madame Beitrand for die nutw
A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA. 477
pose of having an interview with Napoleon. His
excellency, however, took an effectual mode of pre-
venting it, by sending up Sir Thomas Reade to
accompany them. It is probable that Napoleon^
who is very partial to female society, and was in-
formed that the young ladies were highly accom-
plished, and spoke French fluently, would have
managed to have met them accidentally, had not
Sir lliomas been an attentive listener close to
their sides during the whole time.
Captain Cook, of the Tortoise, and Mr. Macv
kenzie, midshipman of the same ship, came up to
Longwood. Mr. Mackenzie had been midship-
man on board of the Undaunted, Captain Usher^
when the emperor took a passage in that ship to
Elba. Capt. Cook told me, that after waiting some
time on the look out, they saw Napoleon walking
in the garden, who sent for and asked them many
questions. He recollected Mr. Mackenzie, ob-
served that he had grown much since he had seen
him before, and made some inquiries about Capt.
Usher. He asked Captain Cook how long he
had been in the servicer to which he replied,
" Thirty years.** He seemed surprised at this, and
aslied what actions? Cook mentioned, amongst
others, Trafalgar. Napoleon asked the name of
the ship he belonged to, and divers questions
about the battle, where he came from, and con-
cluded by asking him where he was g(nng to
478 A VOICB FROM ST. HBLBNA.
ffine? **At camp,** was the reply; "at camp^
then take care,** said Napoleon, ^^that you do
not get drank.**
Cipriani in town, making the usual purchases.
9rd. — ^Napoleon observed, that he had seen yes-
terday an old seaman, which he expressed in Eng*
lish. '^ He looks,** said he, '^ like a seaman e part
un brav^uamo. There was with him a midship-
man who was on board of the frigate with Usher,
when I took a passage in her to Elba. He is
much grown,** continued he, ''but I recollected
him.** I told him that the midshipman had said,
the ship*s company of the Undaunted had liked
him, (Napoleon,) very much. " Yes,** replied Na-
poleon, '' I believe they did ; I used to go amcmgst
them, speak to them kindly, and ask different
questions. My freedom in this respect quite as-
tonished them, as it was so different from that
which they had been accustomed to receive from
their own officers. You English are aristocrats.
You keep a great distance between yourselves
and the papoloJ"^ I observed that on board of a
man-of-war, it was necessary to keep the seamen
at a great distance in order to maintain a proper
respect for the officers. '' I do not think,** replied
the emperor, '' that it is necessary to keep up so
much as you practise. When the officers do not
eat or drink, or make too many freedoms with
them^ I see no necessity for any greater distino-
▲ TOICB FROM ST. HBLRNA* 479
tfoos. Nature formed all men equal. It was al«
ways my custom to go amongst the soldiers and
the canaille^ to converse with them^ ask their little
histories, and speak kindly to them. This I found
to be of the greatest benefit to me. On the con*
trary, the generals and officers, ti irattdi poeo
bene^ and kept them at a greal distance.
^I asked,** continued he, ^^the old seaman
where he was to dine, and cautioned him not to
get drunk. He told me he was marriedt, and had
no children. I asked him what he intended to do
with his money. He said that he would leari it
to an hospital. I then aiked him if he had «(f
nephews or nieces^ and reconmiended Um^ to letfi
his riches to thenii instead of to aa hoipitaL '^ ^
^ You brought a book,* said hcv ^damtfia
battle of Waterloo^ to Gourgand; Tht antlMr
says that I am an imbeeiUe, that myaravf WM'4
set of robbers, and that I oomndttttl one^of 'tta
greatest blunders of wfaidi a mifitary nmn MaM
be guilty, by engaghig Lord WeHii^g;toii with a
forest in his rear. Now the great ftult in Lord
Wellington was having engaged me in a position
with a forest in his rear, with only one road lead^
ing to it ; for in case of a defisat he could not liave
retreated. To effect a retreat wdlt it is necessary
to have several roads by which your army can re-
tire in large bodies^ and with celerity;' and also
be able to defisad themselvea if attaokad. * 'It weoid
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 481
than in France. You are islanders. C'd lo spirito
isolare. Andy besides, you have not had a revo-
lution so lately as in France. To form a correct
judgment of the two nations, it would be neces-
sary to see both immediately after a revolution.
Moreover, your ministers have many Frenchmen
in pay to write whatever is pointed out to them,
against their own country."
Napoleon then asked if we kept Good Friday
sacred, if we fasted, and what was our mode
of doing so ? I replied that we did observe it ;
that protestants seldom fasted ; but that when we
practised it, we abstained altogether from food.
That we did not consider avoiding animal food,
and gorging with turbot, or with any other deli-
cate fish, as fasting : " You are right," said the
emperor, " You are perfectly right. If one fasts
at all it ought to be from every thing, or else it
does not deserve the name. Oh come gli uomini
son hestie^ to believe that abstaining from flesh, and
eating fish, which is so much more delicate and
delicious, constitutes fasting. Povero uomor
" Before my reign," said he, " the oath taken
by the French kings was to exterminate all here-
tics I At my coronation, / swore to protect all
worships I Louis has not yet sworn, because he
nas not been crowned, and in all probability,
through fear of you and of the Prussians, will not
take the oath of extermination ; not that he has
VOL. I. 3 Q
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 4flS
^ If the Irish,'* added he, " had sent over hrt-
iiest men to me, I would have certainly made an
attempt upon Ireland. But I had no confidence
in either the integrity or the talents of the Irish
leaders that were in France. They could offer
no plan, were divided in opinion, and continually
quarrelling with one another. I had but a poor
opinion of the integrity of that O'Conner who was
so much spoken of amongst you."
Ath. — ^Napoleon dressed and in the billiard-
room. In very good spirits. Spoke about the
Admiralty ; asked who signed the commissions of
naval officers? Was surprised when I informed
him that none were signed by the king. " What,
was not Nelson's commission signed by King
George ?" I replied in the negative, and said that
none but officers of the army and marines had
commissions signed by the king ; that his ma-
jesty had nothing to do with naval promotions.
**Who appoints the Admiralty?" said Napoleon*
I replied, " the sovereign." " Then," said he, " it
is a humbug ; for if the king wishes to give a com-
mand to an admiral, or to promote an officer, h^
has nothing more to do than to signify his desire
to the Admiralty, who would not dai'e to refuse
him, through fear of losing their own places." I ob-
served in reply, that it had been said that the sove*
reign had at times caused the appointment of an ad«
miral and commander in chief not exactly agreeabte
A VOICB FROM ST. HELRNA. 48S
to observe that in France there was neither Hbertv
of speech^ nor of the press, and that a man might
be thrown into prison for opposing the measures
of government, and drained there for an indefinite
period. Napoleon replied, "There certainly was
not in France that freedom of discussion which
prevails in England ; although sometimes there was
a very strong opposition in the senate ; nor was
there so much freedom of speech or liberty of the
press; but what could I have done to a banker^
or to other independent persons who opposed my
measures i Put them in prison, vex and aunoy
them by arrestations ? They could appeal to the
senate and to the laws. Besides, it would have
been an unworthy mode of acting. I do not deny
that the old constitution of France was a very bad
one, and required to be newly modified ; but that
constitution which I gave them when I returned
from Elba was excellent ; indeed its only fault
was that it left too little power in my hands,
and perhaps too much in those of the senate. I
could not imprison a man without a decree, order
a fine, impose taxes, or levy them by conscription;
and there was a law for the liberty of the press*
I said that his enemies had asserted that the
constitution he had given was only for the mo-
ment ; and that when firmly seated on the throne^
be would have brought back things to the old
system. ^^ No, no," replied the emperor, 'SI
486 A VOICE FROM ST. HBLRNA.
would have continued the last constitution; I
was well convinced that the old one required a
great change. I suppose that it was Lord Castle-
reagh who made the assertion^ but you must not
believe Lord Castlereagh. You know what false-
hoods he publicly asserted about me since I came
nere. I should not be surprised if they were to
falsify all the of&cial papers, as they have already
done those concerning Murat and myself. When
I returned from Elba, I found all the appara-
tus. They bad falsified a number of the state
papers, with the intention of publishing them. M.
Blacas had the direction of the whole ; but it was
a priest who managed and executed it. The same
had been done before to Murat*s papers. The
fabrications were shewn to some Englishmen.
Blacas in like manner falsified a letter from a
fenime de chambre of my sister Pauline, ccmtaining
seven or eight pages of bavardage. He had it
interpolated so as to make it appear that I had
slept with my sister! This Blacas is a wicked
man, and a blockhead withal. He was base
enough to leave behind him at Paris letters signed
by the writers themselves, containing the offers of
all those in France who had betrayed me before, by
which, if I had pleased, I could have executed
thousands. I did not however make any use of
them further than remembering their names. Now
a greater proof of imbecility and of treachery could
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 487
not have been given than this conduct of Blacas :
those letters ought to have been the very first things
put into a state of security, or destroyed ; as they
compromised the lives of so many persons. But M.
Blacas was only intent upon saving his quattrini ;♦
and gave himself but little concern about the lives
of those who had been the means of bringing him-
self and his master back. He was then minister
of the king's household. Every thing was trusted
to him by Louis, who is himself incapable, and
whose chief qualities are dissimulation and hypo-
crisy. His legs are covered with ulcers, which
are dressed for him by the Duchess of Angoul^me.
He gorges to that degree every day, that they are
obliged to give him God knows what to enable
him to disencumber himself of his load. Some
morning he will be found dead in his bed. He
has some ignorant imbecilles of physicians about
him. They wanted Corvisart to attend him, but
he refused, saying, that if any accident happened
he might be accused of having contributed to his
end. When I returned to the Thuilleries I found
my apartments poisoned with the smell of his legs,
and of divers sulphureous baths which he was in
the habit of using."
"These Bourbons are the most timorous race
imaginable/ continued Napoleon; "put them in
fear, and you may obtain any thing. While I was
488 A VOICE fhom st. bbuehm
at Elba, an actress named Mademoiselle Rancour
died. iShe was greatly beloved by the public, and
an immense concourse of people went to tier fiuie*
ral. When they arrived at the Church of St*
Roch to have the funeral service performed over
the corpse, they found the doors shut^ and admit-*
tance was refused to it. Nor would they allow
it to be buried in consecrated ground, foe. by the
old regulations of those priests people of her
profession were excluded from Chrtetiati ^burial.
The populace broke open the doors with sledges^
and perceiving that there was no priest to per-
form the funeral service, they became clamorous,
their rage knew no bounds. They cried, au
chdteauy au chdteau des Thuilleries. We will see
what right these priests have to refuse interment to
a Christian corpse. Their fury was heightened
still more by learning tliat the very coguiny the
curate of St. Roch, who had refused Christian
burial to the corpse of Mademoiselle Rancour,
had been in the constant habit of receiving pre*
sents from her, both for himself and for the poor,
(for she was extremely charitable) and had dined
and supped with her repeatedly. Moreover, that
he had actually administered the sacrament to
her a few days before her demise. The popu-
lace cried out, here is a canaille of a priest, who
administers the sacrament to a woman, and after-
wards denies her body Christian burial. If she
A YOICB FROM ST. HELENA. 489
was worthy of the sacrament, she surely is worthy
of burial. He receives her benefactions, eats her
dinners, and refuses her body interment. About
fifty thousand of them went to the Thuilleries to
seek redress from the king. An architect, who was
in the inner apartments at the time, told me that
he was present when Louis was first informed of it.
Not being then aware that the mob was so nu-
merous, Louis said, ' the curate is right. Those
players are ungodly gentry, they are excommuni-
cated, and have no right to Christian burial.' A
few minutes afterwards Blacas entered in great
fright, and said, that there were above seventy
thousand furious people about the palace, and
that he was afraid they would pull it down about
them.. Louis, almost out of his senses with fear,
cried out to give immediate orders to have the
body buried according to the rites of the churohy
and actually hurried some persons away to see it
instantly carried into execution. He was not clear
of his terror for some days. Those priests tried
an experiment of a similar nature with me respect-
ing the body of a beautiful dancer, but per Dio,
(said he with emotion) they had not Louis to
deal with. I soon settled the affair."
" I," continued Napoleon, ** rendered all the
burying places independent of the priests. I
hated friars, (fratijy and was the annihilator of
them and of their receptacles of crime, the monas-
VOL. I, 3 R
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 491
I took the liberty to observe, that it might na-
turally be supposed that he would not have ad-
sire which I had to see peace restored to my country^ it would
be unjust to leave France and history ignorant of the motives of
national interest and honour which induced the emperor to refuse
signing the conditions which the allies desired to impose upon us.
I fulfil, therefore, the first of duties, that of equity and truth, in
making known those motives, by the following extract from the or-
ders of the emperor.
Paris, January 19M, 1814. " That which the emperor insists on
the most, is the necessity of France preserving her limits. This is
a tine qua non condition. All the powers, even England, have recog-
nized these limits at Francfort. France reduced to her ancient li-
mits, would not have to-day two thirds of the relative power which
she possessed twenty years ago. What she has acquired on the side
of the Alps and of the Rhine, does not compensate what Russia,
Austria, and Pmssia, have acquired by the solo dismemberment of
Poland. All these states are aggrandized. To wish to bring back
France to its ancient state^ would be to bring it to decay and degra-
dation. France, without the departments of the Rhine, without
Belgium, without Ostend, without Antwerp, would be nothing. The
system of bringing back France to her ancient frontiers is insepa-
rable from the re-establishment of the Bourbons, because they alone
could offer a guarantee for the maintenance of this system ; England
feels this well. In all other respects peace upon such a basis would
be impossible, and could not last. Neither the emperor nor the re-,
public, if some political commotion should revive it, would ever
subscribe to such a condition. For the emperor's part, his reso-
lution is taken ; he is unchangeable ; he will not leave France les^
great than he has received her. If then the allies wish to change
the basis proposed and accepted, the natural limits, he can see but
three courses : either to fight and conquer, or to fight and die glo-
riously ; or finally, if the nation would not support him, to abdicate^
A aVSCHCS from 87; HEbBKA. 493
thtti^he is dead. '^He hasA coiiipUunt in hia breast
which faos rendered him quite another kind of man.
Sachet, Clausel, and Gerard, are in my opinion
the .first of the French generals. It is difficult to
pronounce which is superior,* as they have not
had many opportunities of commanding in chiei^
which is the only mode by which you can ascer-
tain the extent of a man's talents.** He also mei>-
tioned Soult in terms of commendation.
Went along with Captain Poppleton, Captsi^
Fuller, Impett, and other officers of the 53rd, to a
rat hunt in the camp, which was conducted in the
following manner. Some soldiers had been fuiv
nished with spades and began to dig close by a
ditch and a wall, which were infested with rats.
Two dogs were in waiting, and we were provided
with sticks. As soon as the rats found their
premises moving about them, they sallied out and
endeavoured to make their escape. They were
then attacked by the dogs and men, and a most
animated scene of confusion took place ; the rats
trying to get into other holes, and the others pur*
suing and striking at them in every direction, and
hitting each other's legs, in their eagerness to reach
their prey. Some of the rats turned upon the
* As the emperor ^aa rolling the halls of the hilliard-taUe
about at this moment^ I am not positive whether it was only the
two last that he mentioned as not having often commanded in
chief.
A VOICE FROM 8T. HBLBNA, 495
vered the holes, and attacked the rats, who fre-
quently made a desperate resistance, and bit the
assailants severely.
However good the dogs may have been at first,
they generally became indifferent, or unwilling to
attack those noxious animals ; and the same may
be said of the cats. Poisoning them was imprao*
ticable, as the smell of their putrid carcases would
render the rooms uninhabitable. Indeed in more
instances than one it has been necessary to open
a partition, for the purpose of extracting the body
of a rat that had died there, and had caused an
insupportable stench.
The wretched and ruinous slate of the build*
ing, the roofs* and ceilings of which were chiefly
formed of wood, and covered with brown paper
smeared with a composition of pitch and tar,
together with the partition being chiefly of wood,
greatly favoured the introduction of those reptiles,
and was productive of another great inconvenience,
as the composition, when heated by the rays of
the sun, melted and ran off, leaving a number of
* All the additions made to the old building were roofed in this
manner. As this book may fall into the hands of some readers who
may not credit the above description of Longwood House, I beg to
call the attention of respectable persons who may touch at St. Hele-
na, to the state of the house in which the exiled sovereign of France
breathed his last after six years of captivity. To them I confidently
appeal for a confirmation of the above^ and of the description of the
island in the Appendix.
A VOICE FROM ST. HBLBNA. 497
o'clock. Something happened which prevented
him from going; but he sent word to the French
ministers^ that they might consider the treaty as
having been signed, and that he would sign it the
following day. A courier from England arrived
at night, with directions to him to refuse his con-
sent to certain articles, and not to sign the treaty.
Although Cornwallis had not signed it, and might
have easily availed himself of this order, he was a
man of such strict honour, that he said he consi-
dered his promise to be equivalent to his signa-
ture, and wrote to his government that he had
promised, and that having once pledged his word,
he would keep it. That ^^h^^jivere not satisfied,
they might refuse to ratify tjualSSteaty. There was
a man of honour — a true Eii^lishman. Such a
man as Cornwallis ought to have been sent here,
instead of a compound of falsehood suspicion,
and meanness. I was much grieved when I heard
of his death. Some of his family occasionally
wrote to me, to request favours for some prison-
ers, which I always complied with."
He then spoke about his having g^ven himself
up to the Ikiglish^ and observed, ^^My having
given myself up to you, is not so simple a matter
as you ima^e. Before I went to Elba, Lord
Castlereagh offered me an asylum in England,
and sdd^ that I should be very well treated there,
and much better off than at Elba.** I said, that
VOL. I. 3 8
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA. 499
advised, and did not declare himself until the pro-
per time had arrived, that is to say, until that ac-
cident of Russia, of which he took immediate
advantage." A pause now took place. Napoleon
walked a few paces, stopped, looked at me, and
said, in an expressive manner, " none but myself
ever did me any harm ; I was, I may say, the
only enemy to myself : my own projects, that ex-
pedition to Moscow, and the accidents which
happened there, were the causes of ray fall. I
may, however, say, that those who made no op*
position to me, who readily agreed with me, en-
tered into all my views, and submitted with facit
lity, were those who did me t^jjinost injury, and
were my greatest enemies ; be^?Bse, by the facility
of conquest they afforded, they encouraged me tD
go too far. They were more my enemies than
those who formed intrigues against me, because
the latter put me upon my guard, and rendered
me more careful. I caused Stein to be S^ot
away from the court of Prussia. It would, how^
ever, have been very fortunate for me if his pro-
jects had been followed, as Prussia would have
broken out prematurely, and I should have ex-
tinguished her like that,** (raising one of his feet,
and stamping, as if he were putting out the snuff
of a candle) ; " I could," continued he, ** have de*
throned the King of Prussia, or the Emperor of
Austria, upon the slightest pretext, as easily as I
A VOICE FilOM ST. HELENA. 501
satisfied with your reception, and stated your
opinion that all would go on well/ He did not
know what to answer^ and said, ^But this account
is also true."
^^ Your ministei*s never publish the facts," con-
tinued he : *^ If this governor sent no other ac-
counts of the battles, and other circumstances,
than those that were published in the papers,
he betrayed his countiy; as they are almost all
false, similar to those of others employed on your
political missions. A false account is sent to
be submitted to the publiq, ^nd deposited in the
archives; and a secret one, stating the truth,
for your ministers themselves to act upon, but
never to be produced. So that your ministers,
upon an enquiry being. made by.pm*liament, have
a set of documents in the archivas ready to sub^
mit for inspection ; from whence conclusions are
to be drawn, and decisions made. In this man-
ner, although the contents are . untrue, the minis-
ters cannot be\accused of imposing false state-
ments upon the parliament, because they were
officially transmitted to them, and the public and
parliament are satisfied. References are made^
and every thing appears satisfactory, yet the
ground-work of the whole is false. In conse-
quence of having been so long opposed to your
ministers, there is nobody knows them better than
I do. Yaur system is ^ co^ponnd of lies and
A VOICE FROM 8T. HELBNA. 503
the war^ you had almost all the Mediterranean
trade. The reason you sent that expedition to
Algiers^ was to ingratiate yourselves with the
Italians, and to prevent their regretting me. For
I gave the French flag to all the Italian states,
and made the barbarians respect it ; which has not
been the case since the Bourbons mounted the
throne. The Italians would have been discon-
tented, and have cried, that in Napoleon s reign,
they were at least free from the attacks and pira-
cies of the corsairs. That expedition deserves no
credit except for the great bravery and nauti-
cal skill displayed by the admiral, and by those
under him. As to the negociations. Lord Ex-
mouth has failed ; as he ought to have made the
extinction of piracy, the surrender of their fleet,
and an obligation to build no more ships of
war, (unless the Grand Signor made war upon
some of the European powers,) the sine qua mm.
You say that it has been stipulated that only
prisoners, and not slaves, are in future to be
made. I fear much that if any difference be
made amongst those barbarians between the lot
of prisoner and of slave, it will be to the disad-
vantage of the former. For those wretches had
gome interest in preserving the lives of their slaves,
in other to obtain their ransom ; whereas with
prisoners they will have no such expectation ;
and therefore giving way to their natural cruelty
and deadly hatred of Christians, they will in aU
K VOICE FROM ST, HELENA. 505
with a seventy-four and two or three frigates, im-
der Caption Usher or Maitland, would have gmned
you just as good terms as you have got, without
the loss of a man.**
'M always had a high opinion of your seamen,**
continued Napoleon. *' When I was returning from
Holland along with the Empress Marie Louise,
we stopped to rest at Givet. During the night,
a violent storm of wind and rain came on, which
swelled the Meuse so much that the bridge of
boats over it was carried away. I was very anx-
ious to depait ; and ordered all the boatmen of
the place to be assembled, that I might be enabled
to cross the river. They said that the waters
were so liigh that it would be impossible to pass
before two or three days. I questioned some of
them, and soon discovered that they were fresh-
water seamen. I then recollected that there were
English prisoners in the caserns ; and ordered
that' some of the oldest and best seamen amongst
them should be brought before me to the banks
of the river. The waters were very high and the
current rapid and dangerous. I asked them if
they could join a number of boats so that I might
pass over. They answered, that it was possible
but hazardous. I desired them to set about it
instantly. In the course of a few hours they
succeeded in effecting what the other imbecilles
had pronounced to be impossible; and I crossed
VOL. I. 3 T
A VOICfi FROM ST. HELENA* 507
Bertrand relative to the ride towards Woody
Range^ and had said that if the count would give
an assurance that certain houses would not be
entered, it might be arranged. " What houses are
there ?" replied Napoleon, *^ Miss Mason's, and
that of Legge, the carpenter. Is he afraid of Miss
Robinson's virtue ? BStises^ if I wished to cor-
respond, you well know that I could cause letters
to be sent to Europe every day."
8th. — On the 7th, the races were held at Dead-
wood, at which Madame Sturmer, the three com-
missioners, and Captain Gor, were present. Gene-
ral Gourgaud also went, and had a long conversa-
tion with the Baron and Baroness Sturmer, Count
Balmaine, and, latterly. Marquis Montchenu.
During the greatest part of the time no British
officer listened to them. Sir Hudson Lowe and
Sir Thomas Reade were spectators a considerable
portion of the time. Lady Lowe was also pre-
sent. Towards the end of the races, the commis-
sioners, Madame Sturmer, and Baron Gourgaud^
went to Mrs. Younghusband*s house in camp,
where they remained together for some time, be-
fore any of the governor's officers followed them.
Mentioned to Sir Hudson Lowe the opinion which
Napoleon had expressed of Marquis Cornwallis,
to which his excellency replied, that " Lord Corn-
wallis was too honest a man to deal with him."
Napoleon went down to Count Bertrand*s,
A VOICE FROM ST. U£LBNA. 509
14th. — General Gourgaad, while going through
the camp, went into the apartments of Major
Fehrzen of the 63rd regiment, where he remained
for a few minutes.
15/A. — Sir Hudson Lowe sent for the orderly
officer, and demanded " what business General
Gourgaud had to enter Major Fehrzen's rooms ?"
Saw Napoleon, who was reclining upon his
jofa. Very anxious in his enquiries about the
health of Madame Bertrand, Tristan de Montho-
Ion, and the little Napoleonne, both of whom were
very unwell, especially Tristan, who laboured
imder a severe attack of dysentery of a highly in-
flammatory nature, and for which I had bled him.
When I told Napoleon that the bleeding had af-
forded the child great relief, ^' Ah," said he, " ex-
perience, experience is every thing."*
Shewed him a very curious edict which had
been issued by the emperor of China relative to
the English ambassador, and explained the pur-
port of it. After he had heard what I had to say,
he replied that he was still of opinion, that the
ambassador ought to have complied with such ce-
remonies as were practised by the first mandarins
of the empire towards the emperor. That the
Chinese did not ask us to send ambassadors to
* Napoleon had frequently before condemned the practice of
bleeding, which he maintained was abstracting so much of onfl^s
life.
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA* 611
•' A great deal more ; if I recollect right, a million
of francs for each. But I always refused my con-
sent. There wanted nothing but that. I even
forbade the attempt to be made."
16th. — ^Napoleon informed me that he was now
employed in writing observations, military and
otherwise, upon the seven years war of the Great
Frederic, which would when finished form two
or three volumes.
In the course of conversation he mentioned Ge-
neral Lallemand, whose character he described in
very favourable terms. ^* Lallemand,'' said he,
" whom you saw in the Bellerophon, was employed
by me at Acre as a negociator with Sydney Smith,
during which he displayed considerable address
and ability. After my return from Elba, he, like
Lab^doyfere, declared for me in a moment of the
greatest danger, and excited a movement of pri-
mary importance amongst the troops of his divi-
sion, which would have succeeded, had it not been
for the indecision of Davoust and some others
who had agreed to join with him, but who failed
when the hour of trial arrived. Lallemand a beat^
coup de ddcisiorij est capable de faire des cotnbinaU
sonSy and there are few men more qualified to lead
a hazardous enterprize. He has the feu sacrd.
He commanded the chasseurs de la garde at Wa-
terloo, and enfonpa some of your battalions." Vic-
tor he described to be ^^ une bite sans talens ei sans
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